Govt allows PPPs to import fuel oils

Shakhawat Hossain

The government on Wednesday allowed fuel oil import by private power producers for the first time to meet the demand for petroleum products of oil-guzzling quick rental power plants.

A meeting of the cabinet committee on purchase approved a proposal of the Power Division for allowing the independent power producers to import petroleum products for electricity generation.

The state-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation is now the country’s lone importer and distributor of petroleum oils.

A senior Cabinet Division official said the private sector power producers would pay 9 per cent service charge in addition to import duties and others levies for fuel oil import.

They (the PPPs) will, however, enjoy the existing subsidy provided by the government, he said.

Power Division officials said they were forced to take such a decision as the BPC showed unwillingness to continue with fuel oil import as well as maintaining the oil storage facilities.

Besides, the cash-strapped BPC is facing problems to foot the growing oil import bills.

The government has already made upward price adjustments of fuel oils thrice in the current fiscal year. Yet, the projected losses of the BPC in this fiscal year will amount to around Tk 100 billion.

IPPs have set up 16 rental and quick rental power plants with a total production capacity of 1,372 megawatt. Most of the plants run on oil and diesel.

Nineteen more private-sector plants with a total generation capacity of 2,120MW electricity will come into operation next year.

The country’s fuel oil consumption had been hovering around 3 million tonne a year until it jumped to 4.8 million tonne in the last fiscal year. The amount is likely soar to 6.8 million tonne in the current fiscal year.

Power Division officials said the rental power plants required 500 tonnes of furnace oil a day for generating 100 megawatts of electricity.

The present government encouraged installation of quick rental power plants driven by fuel oils to increase electricity generation and tackle the nagging power outages.

The move has been widely criticised as the present government could have made a significant progress by now in establishing low-cost power plants in line with its policy paper.

The critics pointed out that the government was focusing more on expensive power plants which proved too costly for the economy.

They said the country’s macro-economy was now under severe strain due to the huge import liability of fuel oils for the quick rental power plants.

Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1

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Revive CG provision first: Khaleda

The president, Zillur Rahman, greets the BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, also the leader of the opposition in the parliament, as she reaches Bangabhaban on Wednesday.— New Age photo

Staff Correspondent

BNP chairperson and leader of the opposition Khaleda Zia on Wednesday requested president Zillur Rahman to revive the election-time non-party caretaker government before discussing the issue of reconstituting the Election Commission.

During the hour-long dialogue at Bagabhaban, she also requested the president to create a political atmosphere ‘conducive’ for holding the next parliamentary elections through discussions with at all the political parties.

She called for taking the consent of the political parties in this regard.

Khaleda told the president that the crisis created by abolition of the election time non-party caretaker government could not be resolved by reconstituting the Election Commission.

She expressed her doubt whether the dialogue initiative, the president had taken with his limited constitutional authority, could produce positive results.

BNP attended the dialogue knowing full well that it cannot produce the results, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said replying to reporters after the dialogue.

He said that though the president called the dialogue, the remote control was in other hands.

A 15-member BNP delegation, led by Khaleda Zia, went to Bangabhaban at 10.50 AM for the dialogue with the president, prepared with a set of written documents, containing the opposition proposals for solving the political stalemate facing the nation ever since the Awami League-led regime abruptly abolished the system of non-party caretaker administration for holding free, fair and credible parliamentary polls.  

She gave the papers to the president.

‘We attended the dialogue to clear our stand and place our demands before the president,’ he said.

The BNP delegation told the president that reconstitution of the Election Commission was not the prime issue at the moment, as the people of the country are more interested to get the non-party caretaker government system revived for holding free and fair elections acceptable to all, Fakhrul told a news briefing at the BNP central officer, on return from the dialogue.

He said that the people of the country now consider revival of the system of the election time non-party caretaker government as ‘the prime issue.’

‘So, we told him that before reconstituting the Election Commission it is essential to restore the system of the election time non-party caretaker government,’ he said.

‘And the people will not accept anything else,’ he said.

‘We told him that no election under partisan government would be acceptable,’ he said.

He said that Khaleda Zia reminded the president that he and Sheikh Hasina had led a movement in 1995-1996 for the establishment of the election time non party caretaker government saying that no fair elections could be held under partisan government.

He said that the ground realties remained unchanged.

Fakhrul quoted president Ziluur Rahman as stating in reply that at that time he was the general secretary of a party and now he called the dialogue as president, having no party affiliation.

He said, ‘The president gave us a patient hearing and told us that his authority was limited.’

Fakhrul said, ‘However, the president assured us that he would reach our contentions to the appropriate place.’

The BNP chairperson assured the president full cooperation of her party if he took the initiative for holding dialogue with political parties for reviving the system of the election time non-party caretaker government and appointment of the head of the next caretaker administration, Fakhrul said.

He said that the BNP delegation also told the president that the outgoing election commissioners never functioned fairly, freely or neutrally as they were claiming.

He said that their past functioning only prove that they cannot work independently.

Khaleda cited the failure of the outgoing Election Commission to hold the city polls in Dhaka after announcing schedule, Fakhrul said.

He said that Khaleda pointed out that the outgoing election commissioners failed to hold the Dhaka city polls only because they functioned at the instance of the government.

Now the government split the historic city of Dhaka, he said.

He said that the outgoing election commissioners were now stating it was not possible to hold elections in time.

Khaleda also cited the instance of the government ignoring the Election Commission’s letter for army deployment during the recent city polls in Narayanganj.

Clarifying BNP’s objection to using electronic voting machine in polls, Khelda cited rulings by courts in Germany and Finland which said that the election results could be manipulated using the EVMs.

She also pointed out to the president that the election commission of UK had abandoned the idea of using EVMs in polls and that the Dutch government withdrew licence for manufacturing EVMs after it came to know that hat the EVMs could be hacked easily.

‘The EVMs lost acceptability, particularly after the US elections in 2000 when it surfaced later that even dead people cast their votes taking advantage of the controversial machines,’ he said.

Khaleda Zia categorically told the president that besides non-party caretaker government and impendent election commission, peaceful political environment was essential for holding credible elections, he said.

She also pointed out to the president the government was out to destroy the election atmosphere in Bangladesh by unleashing oppression on the opposition, harassing them with false cases, he said.

She also pointed out how the government was obstructing peaceful demonstrations to create an unmistakable impression that the lone party in the country was the ruling party, he said.

It was pointed out to the president, he said, that the nightmare of single-party rule under the incumbent regime destroyed the peaceful environment conducive for holding fair and acceptable elections.

Khaleda Zia pointed out that the atmosphere needs to change immediately in the interest of holding fair parliamentary polls, due in 2014.

The BNP delegation included standing committee members RA Gani, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Mahbubur Rahman, Jamiruddin Sircar, MK Anwar, Abdul Moin Khan, Rafiqul Islam Mia, Nazrul Islam Khan, ASM Hannan Shah, Mirza Abbas and Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, the party chairperson’s adviser Osman Farruk and acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.  

So far 21 political parties held separate dialogues with the president, which had begun on December 22.

Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1

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25 hurt as BCL, Shibir clash at SUST

Activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League and Islam Chhatra Shibir rampaged through the campus of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology on Wednesday evening. At least 25 activists of both the organisations became injured.

Activists of the ruling Awami League-backed Chhatra League also ransacked several rooms of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami-backed Shibir activists at the Shah Paran Hall and vandalised furniture and valuables, campus sources said.

Shibir activists fired gunshots and exploded crude bombs to force Chhatra League activists, who attacked the rooms of Shibir activists, out of the hall about 7:00pm, the sources said.

Policemen reached the campus and fired teargas shells to contain violence that broke out between the activists of the organisations.

Chhatra League activists then gathered in front of the university medical centre and tried to attack the hall again while Shibir activists continued firing gunshots and exploding bombs in front of the Shah Paran Hall till 8:00pm, the sources said.

Rival activists were shouting slogans against each other till 8:00pm, the sources said.

The injured university unit Shibir president Rumi was admitted to a private clinic and the injured Chhatra League activist Manjur was sent to Ragib-Rabeya Medical College Hospital and another injured Chhatra League activist to Osmani Medical College Hospital immediately after the incident.

Witnesses said that Chhatra League activists had attacked the rooms of Shibir activists about 6:30pm after a procession brought out on the campus celebrating the arrest of former Jamaat-e Islami amir Ghulam Azam.

Chhatra League activists at that time forced the Shibir men out of their rooms and carried out vandalism.

A large number of Shibir activists, with firearms and sharp weapons, then reached the campus and drove Chhatra League activists out of the hall about 6:45pm, the sources said.

The university unit Chhatra League convener told New Age about 8:00pm that al least 15 of his fellows in the organisation were wounded by the Chhatra League.

The proctor, Himadri Shekhar Roy, told New Age about 7:30pm that they were preparing to hold an emergency meeting to assess the situation and make decisions.

‘Policemen have been deployed on the campus to control the situation and fend off further trouble,’ the proctor added.

The hall provost, Mustabur Rahman, declined comments but said that he was on the campus and the chaos was going on.

Residents of the Shah Paran Hall, who were outside when the violence broke out, could not return, students said.

Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1

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Bangladesh not to allow terrorism against India: PM

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Bangladesh Sangbad Sanstha . Agartala

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Wednesday reiterated her government’s tough stance against terrorism and militancy as she said Bangladesh would not allow its land to be used for terrorist activities against neighbouring India.

‘We would never allow our land to be used for terrorist activities against India,’ she said, referring to the coordinated border management plan signed between the two countries in July last year.

She made the comments when Tripura governor Dnyandeo Yashwantrao Patil and chief minister Manik Sarkar called on her at the state guesthouse in Agartala Wednesday evening.

After the separate meetings, the PM’s press secretary Abul Kalam Azad briefed reporters.

The prime minister put emphasis on border cooperation between Bangladesh and India to stop smuggling of arms, drugs and fake currencies as well as trafficking in women and children.

She also stressed the need for quick implementation of Akhaura-Agartala rail link and bridge over the Feni river side by side with strengthening ties with Tripura and other northeastern Indian states. Sheikh Hasina expressed her interest in initiating discussion on inter-grid connectivity to purchase 250-MW electricity from Palatana power plant in Tripura.

The prime minister thanked the Tripura government for setting up Muktijuddha Park and a bust of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as well as giving shelter to nearly 1.6 million Bangladeshi refugees during the War of Liberation in 1971.

Besides, Indian union minister for human resources development Kapil Sibal also called on the prime minister.

During the meeting, they discussed issues relating to economy, the present status of negotiations on Teesta agreement, Tipaimukh Dam and river training.

Foreign minister Dipu Moni, the PM’s adviser HT Imam, state minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts affairs Dipankar Talukdar, Bangladesh ambassador to India Tarik A Karim, the PM’s principal secretary Sheikh Md Wahid Uz Zaman and press secretary Abul Kalam Azad were present on the occasion, among others.

Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1

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Ghulam Azam detained on war crimes charges

Former Jamaat-e-Islami amir Ghulam Azam is taken to the International Crimes Tribunal on a wheelchair on Wednesday. — Indrajit Ghosh

Staff Correspondent

Former Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami amir Ghulam Azam was admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University hospital about three hours and a half after he had landed in the Dhaka central jail on Wednesday on charge of crimes against humanity and other offences committed during the 1971 war of independence.

The 89-year-old top war crimes suspect was taken into a prison cell in the hospital about 3:45pm  after he was sent to jail about 12:15pm amid heightened security in a prison van.

Ghulam Azam, who was Jamaat’s chief in 1971, was taken to jail on the order of the International Crimes Tribunal that had rejected a prayer for his bail.

The tribunal, also known as the war crimes tribunal instituted for the trial of the 1971 war crimes, posted for February 15 the hearing in the framing of charges against Ghulam Azam.

The tribunal of Justice Nizamul Huq, Justice ATM Fazle Kabir and judge AKM Zahir Ahmed asked the prosecution to submit the copy of the formal charges against Ghulam Azam, statements of witnesses and other documents, which the prosecution wants to rely on, by today.

It also asked the defence counsel to receive the documents from its registrar by January 14.

Ghulam Azam, who came to the tribunal about 9:45am in the green-coloured sport utility vehicle of his chief defence counsel Abdur Razzaq along with Razzaq and Azam’s eldest son former brigadier general Abdullah Aman Azmi. He was then taken into the courtroom on the first floor of the building in a wheelchair. He was in the dock during the proceedings.

Moving the application for bail, filed on behalf of Ghulam Azam on Tuesday, Razzaq said that Ghulam Azam was a former chief of a leading political party of the country, former general secretary of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union and he submitted a memorandum to the then president seeking Bangla to be made the state language of the erstwhile Pakistan.

Saying that Ghulam Azam has not been active in politics since 1995, the defence counsel argued that he should be granted bail as he was above 89 and suffering from different ailments including hypertension, diabetes, spondylitis, arthritis and other old-age complications and needed regular medication and physiotherapy.

In support of the health grounds, Razzaq argued that a medical board on November 5, 2011 examined the health of Azam and advised him absolute bed rest. Azam cannot move freely, he added.

The tribunal told him that there was no statement in the application that Azam was incapable of moving without help of others.

Mentioning that the tribunal on March 31, 2011 granted bail to former BNP minister Abdul Alim on health grounds on certain conditions, the defence counsel argued that Ghulam Azam also should be granted bail on similar grounds and on similar conditions.

He also argued that there was no scope for Ghulam Azam to influence the investigation if he was granted bail as the formal charges against him had already been placed and the tribunal had already taken cognisance of the charges on January 9.

Opposing the application, the chief prosecutor, Golam Arif Tipu, argued that Azam should not be granted bail in the current stage of the case as the tribunal took cognisance of charges including crimes against humanity and he was the main person responsible for the 1971 atrocities.

He argued that Alim’s case was not similar to that of Azam.

Alim was granted bail while the investigation against him was going on but the tribunal had already taken cognisance of the charges against Azam and his case was now in the trial stage, the prosecutor said.

He also argued that Alim was granted bail on the ground of his incapability to move without wheelchair and help of others but the condition of Azam was not similar to Alim’s.

Citing a decision of a German court, in which Ukrainian-born former Ohio resident John Demjanjuk was sentenced to five years in prison on May 12, 2011 for his role in the killing of 28,060 Jews at a Nazi death camp during World War II, Tipu said that 91-year-old Demjanjuk attended the 18-month court proceedings in Munich in a wheelchair and sometimes lying down, but was not granted bail.

He also mentioned that former Egypt president Hosni Mubarak was being tried on charges similar to those against Azam being denied of bail.

Rejecting the application, the tribunal also cited those decisions and observed that the position of Azam’s case, in which trial process had already begun, was not similar to that of Alim.

There is no case placed by the defence that Azam was unable to move without help of others, as mentioned in Alim’s case, the tribunal said in the order.

The case involves the war of independence, in which 30 lakh people were killed, four lakh women were violated and about one crore people had to take refuge to save their lives, the tribunal observed.

The whole nation has for long been waiting for a fair trial, the tribunal said.

Later, Razzaq told reporters that the order was ‘incorrect’ and they would decide whether to seek review of the order after consulting his client.

Security was beefed up on and outside the tribunal premises.

Various groups gathered outside the tribunal premises with placards and festoons demanding trial of Azam.

Azam appeared in the tribunal in compliance with its order issued on Monday asking Razzaq to produce Azam before it on Wednesday.

The tribunal had passed the order after taking cognisance of the charges pressed against Ghulam Azam by the prosecution on January 5.

Almost all of the political parties and different quarters welcomed the decision of the tribunal while activists of Jammat and Islami Chhatra Shibir tried to bring out processions against the order ib places which were foiled by law enforcers.

Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1

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