န TOP BENGAL NEWS OF THE MOMENT

Tripura University to confer D Lit on Bangladesh PM Hasina
Agartala, 8 March : The Executive Council of Tripura Central University has decided to confer honorary D Lit degree on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her leadership and initiative to improve bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh.
Vice-Chancellor Prof Arunoday Saha said here today that the authority's decision had already been conveyed to the Bangladesh PMO and her consent was awaited. Non-officially she agreed to receive D Lit and letter of confirmation is expected to reach soon. Prof Saha said Ms Hasina would be conferred the degree in the university convocation scheduled to come off in November this year. Indian President Pratibha Patil has consented to be the chief guest in the function.
Appreciating Tripura University's decision of conferring an honorary D Lit on Sheikh Hasina Tripura Industry Minister Jitendra Choudhury said the move as a way of cementing further the bilateral relation between India and Bangladesh.

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Outfit seeking separate Gorkhaland state slams WB Govt

ANI, Siliguri, 8 March : Madan Tamang, the leader of the ethnic Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League, seeking creation of separate state of Gorkhaland slammed West Bengal Government for "discriminating against the Nepali-speaking people".
"Gorkhaland is nothing but aspirations of people, demand is genuine. There is disparity. There is discrimination that is why we are demanding separate state. We have tried our best but the West Bengal government whether it is CPI(M), whether it is Congress or Trinamool (Congress), they have one policy to discriminate (against) Nepali-speaking people," Tamang said here on Sunday.
Gorkhas have been demanding a separate state, to be carved out of West Bengal, to protect their culture and heritage.

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Govt sends female police team to UN mission : Sahara K

Dhaka, 8 March : Bangladesh Home Minister Sahara Khatun on Monday said the government will send a team of women police to the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission soon.
She said while inaugurating the third international meeting of ‘Doctrine Development Group on Formed Police Unit’ jointly organised by Bangladesh Police and United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations at a city hotel. The home minister said Bangladeshi police have provided top contributions to the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the last three years. The meeting aims to set a unified curriculum of pre-training for the Formed Police Unit.
A total of 52 police representatives from Bangladesh and 34 other countries are participating at the programme.

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Roads along China border top priority : Tripura CM Manik

IANS, Agartala, 8 March : The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has given top priority to constructing strategic roads along the China border, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said Monday.
"The BRO has also agreed to take up roads along the Bangladesh border as these are equally crucial for India's security," Sarkar told the Tripura assembly. The chief minister Saturday met BRO director general Lt. Gen. M.C. Badhani Saturday and discussed the upgrading of border roads. "The BRO chief told me that despite their highest commitment to build strategic roads along China, they would consider taking up the maintenance and development of border roads with Bangladesh," Sarkar said.
"Northeast in general and Arunachal Pradesh in particular have been given the highest importance for the development of road and bridge infrastructure. Around 2,770 km of roads, including border roads with China, are in various stages of construction by BRO," an official told IANS on condition of anonymity. Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,030-km unfenced border with China.

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1 CPI(M) worker shot dead, abducted teacher still traceless
Midnapore, Bankura, 8 March : Again a CPI(M) worker was shot dead by Maoists in West Midnapore district, police said today. The incident happened last night at Golbandhi area in the district when the man along with two others were on way to their home in bicycles, they said.
However, the two others were unharmed, police said.Meanwhile, in Saluka village in Bankura district, Golok Duley, son of abducted school teacher and local CPI(M) leader Ranjit Duley, today held a press conference reportedly under Maoist-backed PCAPA's duress where he reiterated the rebels' demand of releasing their eight cadre arrested for allegedly killing Sarenga police station in-charge on 25 February.
Golok has held the press conference at the instruction of Sidhu Soren, a leader of Sidhu Kano Gana Committee, militant wing of the People's Committee against Police Atrocities, sources said. Golok also demanded release of 37 villagers, detained by security forces after an encounter with Maoists in West Midnapore district yesterday.

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No increase in fares : Govt, Taxis threaten strike in Kolkata

Kolkata, 8 March : The West Bengal government today turned down a demand for increasing fares of taxis, triggering protests from cab owners who threatened to call for an indefinite strike in the city.
Bengal Taxi Association President Bimal Guha said Transport Minister Ranjit Kundu turned down the demand for an increase in fares, forcing them to consider an indefinite taxi strike in the city shortly. "The BTA, Kolkata Taxi Association and Progressive Taximen's Union will have a joint meeting later in the day to fix the date to start an indefinite strike," Guha said after talks with Kundu failed. The minister was not available for comment.

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Mujib planned separation from Pakistan in 1969: Sk Hasina
IANS, Dhaka, 8 March : Bangladesh's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had made detailed plans for the liberation from Pakistan during a stay in London in 1969, his daughter and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said.
Sheikh Mujib discussed his plans at a meeting held a few months after his release from prison following a prolonged trial in the Agartala conspiracy case in which then Pakistan government had brought sedition charges against him and 34 others, Hasina told a meeting Sunday.

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ANSA-SAR to enhance social accountability in S Asian region

Dhaka, 7 March : In a bid to enhance social accountability and governance initiatives in South Asian region, the Affiliated Networks for Social Accountability-South Asia Region and Global Partnerships Fund (ANSA-SAR and Global) was launched today.
This is for the first time a network has brought together diverse organisations from neighbouring countries to work under a common theme of social accountability, said organisers at the launching ceremony of the network at the office of Journalism Training and Research Initiative (JATRI). Funded by World Bank Institute, ANSA is a group of three networks in the East Asia and the Pacific, Africa and South Asia and Globally.

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(Left) A Headed Oriole, known in Bangla as Holud Pakhi, a common bird of Bengal, alights on a tree branch. Photo was taken from Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka. န Photo : Mustafiz Mamun

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Maoists will overthrow Indian state much before 2050 : Kishenji
PTI, Kolkata, 7 March : A day after Indian Home Secretary GK Pillai said Maoists had plans to overthrow the Indian state by 2050, top Naxal leader Koteswar Rao alias Kishenji claimed late Saturday night that it would be achieved much before that date.
"We will overthrow the Indian government much before 2050," Kishenji told PTI from an undisclosed location. He claimed the Maoists had their own army with the help of which it would overthrow the Indian state much before 2050. He said the Maoists had offered a 72-day peace offer and "the question of regrouping does not arise. (Union Home minister P) Chidambaram is trying to divert the attention of the people from the real problem." He said it was for the Centre to act on the peace offer. "We are fully prepared for a long-term revolution against the government and so we don't need any specific time to restructure ourselves."
Reiterating that the repeated offer of talks by the Maoists had been turned down, Kishenji said "we have repeatedly offered talks to the government but it has been turned down." Claiming that innocent people were being killed in the name of tackling Maoists, he said "we are trying to save them from state-sponsored terrorism." န File Photo : AP

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Hasina pays homage to Bangabandhu Sk Mujibur Rahman
UNB, Dhaka, 7 March : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina placed a floral wreath Sunday morning at the portrait of father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman marking the historic 7th March speech.
The prime minister along with her cabinet colleagues and party leaders laid the wreath at the portrait at Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi. Later, other leaders from Awami League and its front organisations also placed floral wreaths paying homage to the Bangabandhu.

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Exchange of fire goes on between Joint forces and Maoists
Kolkata, 7 March : In a face off with Maoists, the joint security forces have engaged the Maoists in gun battle in Bhalukbasa forest area of West Midnapore. The sources said that it is to be believed that the kidnapped headmaster has been kept in the area.
The Joint forces has got tip off from a source that abducted Head master of a school from Bankura district, has been taken to the forest area. The firing sounds have resonated the jungle area. Recently the Maoists have kidnapped by the headmaster and demanded to release their six companions, who are behind the bars.

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I hope for meaningful talks : ULFA's vice chairman P Gogoi
IANS, Sivasagar, 7 March : A free man after 12 years, outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) founder member and vice chairman Pradip Gogoi is hoping for "meaningful talks" with New Delhi to resolve the conflict in Assam.
"I am happy to come out of jail after spending long years inside prison. Now I sincerely hope there would be an atmosphere for meaningful talks to resolve the long-drawn conflict in Assam," Gogoi told IANS in an interview at his home in Sivasagar. "If the people of Assam want us to go to Delhi for talks, we would surely go. If they want us to take to arms once again, we would do that as well," the ULFA vice chairman said.
Gogoi was released on bail on Thursday and came out of the Guwahati Central Jail where he had been lodged since his arrest in April 1998 from Kolkata by the West Bengal police. His release comes close on the heels of that of ULFA publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary, who was let off 25 February. He never visited his home after joining the ULFA in 1979. န File Photo : Chinmoy Roy

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BD Launch Labour Asso's strike on 20 Barisal river routes
Barisal, 7 March : Water transport strike enforced by Bangladesh Launch Labour Association for an indefinite period began on 20 internal routes of Barisal Sunday morning in protest against the suspension of four staff of a launch.
The association’s joint secretary Ekin Ali Master told that the strike would continue until reinstatement of the staff into their positions, reports a correspondent from Barisal. Launch movement remained suspended on the 20 routes of the district since morning following the strike, a port officer in Barisal said.

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Indian Navy to build new 'floating dock' at Port Blair
PTI, New Delhi, 7 March : The navy is all set to build a strategically important floating dock to enable repair and refit of warships at sea, instead of at shore-based dry docks.
It has issued a request for information (RFI) to global shipbuilders for construction of the dock with 8,000-tonne lift capability at Port Blair, where a major tri-service military command is headquartered.
India already has a floating dock in service at Port Blair and the new facility would augment the capability by 2012-13, officers in the navy said here today. A floating dock of the navy had sunk in November 2002 off Port Blair following flooding of ballast tanks that controlled docking and undocking of warships due to power failure. It was brought afloat and later repaired in Sri Lanka.

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Rajan The Swimming Elephant Of Andaman Islands...

BBC World Service, 6 March : Elephants love water and hosing themselves down to keep cool, but it's very unusual to see an elephant swimming in the sea. That's because elephants don't naturally like sea water.
But in the Andaman Islands, off the East coast of India, ten elephants were taught to swim in the sea so they could carry logs between the islands. That was in the 1970s - now only three of those elephants still survive. Two have been returned to the wild and no longer swim, which leaves only one seaborne elephant - called Rajan.
Extreme sports and underwater photographer Jody MacDonald went to Havelock Island in the Andamans specially to swim and photograph Rajan. She spoke to Outlook's Candida Beveridge.

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Arrested Maoist Dipak had hatched plan to flee to B'desh

Kolkata, 6 March : The CPI (Maoist) in West Bengal has successfully developed a coordination system with some so-called Maoist forces in Bangladesh, arrested Maoist leader Venkateshwar Reddy alias Telugu Dipak has confessed.
Indian minister P Chidambaram had warned a few weeks ago about Indian Maoists having established links with similar groups in neighbouring countries. Before his arrest, Dipak was coordinating with Bangladeshi group Lal Pataka (Red Flag), a wing of the Purba Banglar Communist Party (Marxist - Leninist). According to West Bengal director general of police Bhupinder Singh, Maoists had tried to establish many such networks with terror outfits in India and abroad.
The main purpose behind establishing links with Lal Pataka was to set up subsidiary Maoist bases at the bordering districts of Maldah, Murshidabad and Nadia. “Setting up bases at these bordering districts would have helped them escape to Bangladesh as and when necessary,” a CID official said.

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Daylight saving time starts again in B'desh from 31 March

BSS, Dhaka, 6 March : Bangladesh would return to the daylight saving time again on 31 March as per the decision of the cabinet by moving the clocks one hour forward.
"The clock will again be put forward by one hour from 31 March, and it will remain so until 31 October, 2010. The decision was made in light of factors such as the growing demand for electricity," M Abul Kalam Azad, Secretary of the power division told BSS on Saturday. Aimed at saving around 200 MW of electricity in pick hours and to ensure electricity into the irrigation pumps smoothly, government introduced DST from June last. "The amount of electricity saving is not the main issue, this system helps us a lot to face pick hours demand in city areas," Ataul Masud, Managing Director, Dhaka Power Development Company (DPDC) said.
Daylight saving time will be back by one hour on 31 October, in 2010. The clocks will move back one hour again.

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Japan government sponsors vocational centre for 'OFFER'
Baruipur, 6 March : The Government of Japan has partnered a West Bengal NGO- OFFER ( Organisation For Friends Energies and Resources)- to launch the first ever vocational training centre in Kolkata for 51 specially-abled children.
Fujio Samukawa, Consul General of Japan Embassy and Kanti Ganguly, state minister of Sundarban affairs & Sports & Youth Services were present at the launch of the centre. The centre will cater to the more advanced technologies to help the challenged children of Apanjan NGO.

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Sheikh Hasina says govt working on 'health services for all'

UNB, Sirajganj, 6 March : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said her government is working to reach the health services to the doorsteps of all people across the country.
Meanwhile, 6.82 lakh people in 400 upazilas have received health services through the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust. People in rural areas are now getting health services sitting at their houses as per the pledges of the grand alliance government, she said. The premier said this while addressing a meeting at Sirajganj University College ground in the town through videoconferencing. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust, Shadhinota Chikitshak Parishad (Shachip) and Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) jointly arranged the programme.
She further said the government is working hard to implement a charter of change and make a digital Bangladesh, adding this videoconference is a better example of their digitisation activities. န Photo : Focus Bangla

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Janshatabdi Express rams into ambulance in Assam
PTI, Jorhat, 6 March : Three persons of an ambulance were seriously injured when the Janshatabdi Express at an unmanned level crossing in Assam's Golaghat district hit their vehicle on Saturday.
The driver of the ambulance and two others travelling in the vehicle were seriously injured as the Moriani-Guwahati train hit them at Kakotigaon level crossing at around 3 pm, police said. The injured were admitted to the Civil Hospital at Golaghat in a critical condition.

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Bus plunge : 6 die on the Dhaka-Khulna HW in Gopalganj
Gopalganj, 6 March : Six people were killed and 50 others injured as an overcrowded bus fell into a roadside ditch in Gopalganj Sadar Upazila on the Dhaka-Khulna highway Friday night.
Witnesses said the Bashpur-bound bus plunged into the ditch near Paikkandi area after one of its tyres punctured, killing 5 on the spot. The injured were admitted to Khulna Medical College Hospital, Gopalganj Sadar Hospital and different private clinics.

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Hazarduari Utsav in Murshidabad, host a Sufi fest from 8/3

Kolkata, 6 March : The Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad, known for its thousand real and false doors, will host a Sufi festival from March eight. The three-day festival organised by the West Bengal government would include songs by local artists of bauls and fakirs of murshidi and marfati genre.
A troupe would sing songs of Kabir and Warsi Brothers from Lucknow would entertain with qawalis. There would also be a sufi-kathak dance performance by Manjari Chaturvedi. The Hazarduari Utsav would be held on an open air stage with the 19th century palace as the backdrop, Tourism Minister Manab Mukherjee said. The palace was built in 1837 by Duncan McLeod for the Nawab Najim Humaun Jah, descendant of Mir Jafar.
The palace, which has been now converted into a museum, is spread over 41 acres and boasts of 114 rooms and 8 galleries, built in European architectural style. West Bengal Tourism is organising the Utsav in collaboration with West Bengal Minorities Development and Finance Corporation, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, SBI, Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre and an NGO.

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Govt aware of problems of industries in NE region : FM Pranab

PTI, New Delhi, 5 March : The Indian government admitted on Friday that small and tiny industries in the North Eastern region were facing hardships in getting credits as banks could not open branches in some areas.

Replying to questions in the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, "We are fully aware of the problems in the North Eastern region...that is why a separate industry package has been given for the region." He, however, said efforts are being made to meet credit requirements of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), micro and other tiny industry even without having bank branches in some areas of the regions.
Pranab Babu also informed the House that the task force, constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to look into the issues of small industries, has submitted the report and it was under consideration of the government.

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Huge cache of explosives seized from West Midnapore dist
Midnapore, 5 March : A huge cache of explosives was today seized from Maoist-infested West Midnapore district by a team of joint security forces, officials said.
Around 4.5 quintal of explosives were found by the security men during a search operation in Sirsi and Chandiwala villages of Kotwali area, they said. The cache included 200 kgs of ammonium nitrate, 50 kgs of sulphur, jelly gunpowder and 300 bullets of AK series.

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RTI Act first significant achievement of UPA govt : Sonia

PTI, Shillong, 5 March : The Right to Information Act is the first significant achievement of the UPA government, Congress President Sonia Gandhi said on Friday.
"The enactment of the RTI is the first significant achievement of the UPA government. This is the first single piece of legislation to ensure transparency and delivery by the government," Gandhi told a public rally in Shillong. "Regardless of whichever government is in power, each citizen can by law put questions and expect answers from the government," she said and called upon the people to make full use of the Act.
She earlier formally inaugurated the Regional Institute for Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) here. န Photo : PTI

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Women's bill to be tabled on Rajya Sabha Monday : Govt

IANS, New Delhi, 5 March : The Indian bill that seeks 33 percent reservation for women in legislative bodies will be introduced in the Rajya Sabha Monday, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Prithviraj Chavan said Friday.
Monday, 8 March, is International Women's Day. The legislation has been pending for over 13 years - it was first brought to parliament by the H.D. Deve Gowda government in 1996. In its present form, the Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill, 2008, has the backing of the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left. But it is being opposed by the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Janata Dal-United.

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Bangladesh Railway going to e-ticketing
Dhaka, 5 March : Bangladesh Railway is going to launch electronic ticketing service to ease the sufferings of passengers.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday unveiled the service at the Railway stall in the Digital Innovation Fair at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo Theatre in the capital. Using Grameenphone's "Mobitaka" service, rail passengers will be able to book or purchase electronic railway tickets 10 days prior to their travel using mobile phones. To buy an e-ticket a customer will have to press *133# in his mobile phone and enter a menu. The menu will generate windows where the customer has to furnish necessary travel information following instruction.
After the input, the customer will have the option to either book tickets or purchase them instantly, subject to availability of tickets.

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Tripura govt blames Mizoram as refugee repatriation hangs
Agartala, 5 March : Tripura Friday accused Mizoram of going against the union home ministry's directive by not taking steps to repatriate Reang tribal refugees who have been sheltered in Tripura for 13 years.
'The Mizoram government has been violating the union home ministry's direction over the repatriation of Reang tribal refugees. Whenever the centre and Tripura government takes efforts to send back the evacuees, the Mizoram government fails to take initiative to take back their residents,' Tripura Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Badal Choudhury said in the assembly.

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Suspected poisoning of chemicals kills 3 at Dhaka tannery
Dhaka, 5 March : At least three workers died from suspected poisoning of chemicals at a tannery in city's Hazaribagh area Friday morning.
Nine others were also injured at Apex tannery, who were mixing chemicals around 6:45am(BDST). Officer-in-Charge of Hazaribagh Police Station Enamul Haq Enam told reporters that the three died instantly. The injured workers were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.

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Tiger census begins in West Bengal's Sunderbans TR

PTI, Kolkata, 5 March : The much-awaited tiger census in WB's Sunderbans, where DNA sampling would be made for the first time to establish the number of big cats, began yesterday. Tiger scat will be collected for DNA sampling which is a foolproof method to establish their number, Field Director of Sunderbans Tiger Reserve Subrat Mukherjee said.

The exercise will continue till 9 March. Scat collection, however, would be a long-drawn process because Sundarbans has a vast and difficult terrain, Director of Sunderban Biosphere Reserve Pradeep Vyas told PTI. "It will take an entire year to complete collection of scats in over 100 compartments in the Sunderbans which includes a part of North 24 Parganas district besides the tiger reserve," Vyas said.
Altogether 35 teams comprising 250 forest personnel and representatives of NGOs were taking part in total ecological monitoring which include tigers, co-predators, prey, habitat and human interference, Vyas said. Asked whether it would be possible to have an approximate count of tigers in Sunderbans immediately after collection of data, he said the data would take two months to process after which it would be sent to the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India. န Photos : AP, Reuters

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6 indigenous houses burnt in a remote area in Rangamati
Rangamati, 5 March : Again six houses of indigenous people were brunt down in a remote area in Baghaichhari Upazila of Rangamati Thursday night.
Unidentified criminals set the houses ablaze at about 8:45pm(BDST) in Dane Baipachora area in the upazila. The upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Baghaichhari upazila visited the spot Friday morning and confirmed the incident.

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My mother is not like Amitabh Bachchan : Konkana Sen
Bohni Bandyopadhyay, PTI, New Delhi, 5 March : Bengali actress Konkona Sharma, who rose to fame with Mr and Mrs Iyer by her mother Aparna Sen, admits that having an actor-director mother has had its advantages.

"I think being Aparna Sen's daughter definitely had its advantages since she is such a respected actor-director," said Konkona, who won the National Award for Best Actress for the 2002 film. Despite the headstart, the 30-year-old actress believes that she also needed to prove herself as an actor. "But my mother is not like Amitabh Bachchan that pan India everybody knows and loves her. Star kids do get more opportunities, but there are so many whose careers haven't worked out," Konkona told PTI. The actress enjoys working with her national award winning mother the most and will soon be seen in a new movie with her. "I love working with her the most. I have completed shooting for 'Iti Mrinalini' which will be released in April in both Hindi and Bengali. The film has my mother playing the older version of my character," Konkona said. The actress was in the capital recently to promote her upcoming Bollywood film Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?. Releasing today, the film stars Ajay Devgan and Paresh Rawal.

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Cabinet approves to declare Andaman set of ports as major port

ANI, New Delhi, 4 March : The Indian Cabinet on Thursday approved the proposal of the Shipping Ministry to declare Andaman and Nicobar set of ports as major port and establish the Andaman and Nicobar Port Trust with its headquarters at Port Blair.
The cabinet also approved to extend the applicability of the provisions of the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963 to Andaman and Nicobar set of ports. The Cabinet also approved the proposal to disband the Port Management Board and transfer its establishment to the proposed Andaman and Nicobar islands Port Trust and to bifurcate the Andaman and Lakshadweep harbour works and transfer a part of its establishment to the A and N Port Trust and to take consequential actions with reference to the above declaration.
The establishment of the Major Port Trust at Andaman and Nicobar islands is expected to give attention to the development of the backward areas of the island group by increasing commercial activities, encouraging tourism, attracting foreign direct investment, supporting Tsunami rehabilitation programme and undertaking various developmental and welfare activities permitted under the provisions of the Major Port Trust Act, 1963.
It will also supplement the capacity requirement of the Major Port Trust in the country; safeguard the country’s strategic interest besides encouraging cruise tourism.

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Bangladesh govt keen on South Asian regional connectivity
Dhaka, 4 March : Officials from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan may meet soon to chalk out plans for closer regional connectivity following an understanding reached between Dhaka and New Delhi.
Direct transport services would allow movement of people and of goods into each others' markets. This was discussed when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was in New Delhi in January. "Such a meeting can pave the way for understanding and working out a modality for introduction of something like direct bus services. Bangladesh or Bhutan can convince India to agree to transit for the land-locked Himalayan state," New Age newspaper Thursday quoted an unnamed senior official as saying.
The Prime Minister's Office here has asked the ministries concerned to expedite the process of implementation of the decisions made at the Bangladesh-India New Delhi summit.

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Maoists ultimatum : Free our leader or face consequence
Kolkata, 4 March : The Maoists have threatened to start a full-scale offensive against the government if their leader Venkateshwar Reddy alias Telugu Deepak is not released by 5 pm on 6 March.
Telugu Deepak was arrested by the CID on 3 March at Sursuna bus stand in Kolkata. According to the Police Deepak was in-charge of Maoist operations in West Bengal and was close to Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji. Telugu Deepak has been blamed of planning the attack in Sildha in West Bengal on 15 February, in which 24 jawans of the Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) lost their lives.

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ULFA vice-chairman release from jail
Guwahati, 4 March : In a further boost to initiating peace talks with the proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), the outfit’s ‘vice-chairman’ Pradeep Gogoi was on Thursday released on bail from the central jail here.
Emerging out of the jail, Gogoi told waiting newsmen that he will play any role assigned by his group in the peace process. “The course of action to be adopted in taking talks forward will be decided by the collective leadership of ULFA,” he said. Gogoi, however, reiterated that jailed leaders must be freed if talks are to be taken forward. He is the second ULFA leader to be released on bail in two weeks. ‘Publicity secretary’ Mithinga Daimary was earlier released on 26 February.
The ULFA leadership, most of whom are in jail here, had refused to initiate talks ‘with handcuffed hands’ and Gogoi’s and Daimary’s release is being constructed as a first step by the government in the talks direction. န Photo : Chinmoy Roy

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Be careful while preparing NPR : Chidambaram tells DMs

PTI, New Delhi, 4 March : The Government on Thursday asked district magistrates posted along the Indo-Bangladesh border to guard against people from across the border that may try to enroll their names in the National Population Register (NPR).
Home Minister P Chidambaram said there have been some instances in border areas where people from across the border have tried to get themselves enrolled in the NPR, which will be updated across the country beginning April one. "There is a danger, mostly in Indo-Bangladesh border -people crossing over and get enumerated in the NPR," he said addressing the All India Conference on National Population Register here.
The India-Bangladesh border is 4095 km long. The enumeration exercise will cover all 35 states and Union Territories and the country's 1.2 billion citizens living in 7,742 towns, 6,08,786 villages and 24 crore households involving 25 lakh government employees.

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Export-import through Benapole land port stops again
UNB, Benapole, 4 March : Export-import activities between Bangladesh and India through Benapole land port came to a halt again today morning.
Benapole Customs Cargo officer Debashis Chandra said trading through the land port remained suspended due to the conference of the CPIM backed labour organisation. General Secretary of Petrapole C&F Agents Welfare Association Kartik Chandra said trading through the land port remained suspended as the labourers are reluctant to join duties due to the conference.

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Govt is working to ensure transparency by using ICT : PM

Dhaka, 4 March : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said the present government is working to ensure transparency, accountability and good governance, by utilising information technology as tools for implementing the ‘charter of change’.
She said this while inaugurating the Digital Innovation Fair at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo Theatre in the capital. She expressed the hope that the ICT would help to ensure transparency and accountability of the government and establised rule of law, stamping out corruption from the country. The fair have been organised in order to reach the government services to the people’s doorsteps in short time, the prime minister said. She further said people will not have to go door to door of the administration for getting government service. "Service will reach at the people’s doorsteps".
Sheikh Hasina said the government has taken up measures to bring the entire country under e-governance to strengthen the telecommunication system of the country.

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RAB arrest Facebook share tipster for manipulating S Exe.

AFP, Dhaka, 4 March : A Dhaka-based Facebook stocks tipster with over 10,000 followers has been arrested on charges of illegally manipulating Bangladesh's overheated stock exchange, police said Thursday.
Mahbub Sarwar, 26, a prolific blogger who provided online stock tips through the popular social networking site, will be charged with market manipulation, Mohammad Sohel, spokesman for the Rapid Action Battalion police force told AFP. READ FULL STORY AT BENGAL NEWZ/ FACEBOOK

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Sonia backs Pranab, signals support for fuel price rise

Reuters, New Delhi, 4 March : Sonia Gandhi, head of the ruling Congress party, backed Indian finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday, effectively signalling her support for a move to raise taxes on fuel, lawmakers said.
The budget move to raise fuel prices for the first time since July has met with anger from both the opposition and government allies, underlining the challenge in cutting the fiscal deficit from a 16-year-high of 6.9 % of GDP.
Gandhi, widely seen as running the government from behind the scenes, has a history of supporting populist measures, so her stand was being seen as a test of how far the government will push reforms to liberalise state-regulated sectors like fuel.

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Maoists again gun down CPI(M) local committee member
Jhargram, 4 March : Maoists gunned down a CPI(M) local committee member and zonal president of the party's youth wing DYFI at Kendboni khal in Jhargram area of West Midnapore district today.
Swapan Mondal (38), the CPI(M) local committee member of Harda and Belpahari panchayat samiti member besides being the DYFI president for Belpahari zone, was on his way home at Belebera village when he was stopped by armed Maoists and gunned down, police said.

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Bangladesh's CID gets 3 months more for 21 August probe

Dhaka, 4 March : Bangladesh's Criminal Investigation Department on Thursday got three more months to submit the probe report in one of the two 21 August grenade attack cases.
ANM Bashir Ullah of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court Dhaka allowed the time after the investigation officer (IO) sought four more months to submit the report in the case filed under the Explosive Substances Act. IO Abdul Kahar Akond pleaded for the time on Thursday saying he could not complete the investigation in due time. Earlier on 5 January this year, the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court gave CID two more months to submit the probe report.
Twenty-three Awami League leaders and workers were killed and over 300 maimed in the incident. AL President Sheikh Hasina narrowly escaped the attack.

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Khagrachhari OC stand released in connection with 23 Feb's violence
Rangamati, 4 March : The officer-in-charge of Khagrachhari Sadar Police Station was stand released on Thursday in connection with 23 February violence that killed one and injured 50 others.
Police Super office sources said the action was taken against OC Shariar Khan following an order by Additional Inspector General of Police (Admin) Nabo Bikrom Kishor Tripura in the early hours of Thursday. Asked, Superintendent of Police Abu Kalam Siddique confirmed the matter but he declined to make any comment.

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5,000+ Bangladeshi NGOs apply for govt's Climate Funds
Dhaka, 4 March : As many as 5,000 non-government organisations have applied for fund to the Bangladesh government to fight adverse impacts of climate change, a parliamentary body disclosed yesterday.
At a discussion over the usage of the climate change fund, the parliamentary standing committee on environment and forest ministry formed a five-member sub-committee to oversee the utilisation of the fund by NGOs. The government has decided to sanction Tk 100 crore for NGO initiatives from its Tk 400 crore climate change fund, Abdul Momin Talukder, chief of the parliamentary body told reporters after the meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

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Cashew nut industry promotes employment in rural Tripura

ANI, Agartala, 4 March: There is an increasing demand for cashew nuts both in the domestic and international markets and this has enabled Tripura's emerging cashew nut industry to generate employment in the rural areas.

Tripura is one of the major cashew nuts producing states in the country. ashew Nuts processing units have mushroomed across the state as a result of its high demand across the country. Maa Tara Cashew Processing Industry' in Ashwini Market West Tripura is one such unit.he venture was set up six years ago with financial help from the government.
Currently the unit's output is nearly 150-160 metric tones and it is generating good profits. Speaking to ANI, Maa Tara Cashew Processing Industry, manager, Sisir Sarkar said: "We collect raw cashew and do the processing in our factory, which runs around ten months a year with the help of around 100 local village women workers."
The unit has helped generate employment especially for women and this has brought about a major change in their lives. Tripura over a period of time has emerged as a cashew nut production hub.

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Arrested Maoist leader Telegu Dipak had impersonated Kishenji

PTI, Kolkata, 3 March : Arrested Maoist leader Vekanteshwar Reddy alias Telugu Dipak, had impersonated Koteswar Rao alias Kishenji for a long period and also had links with the banned ULFA in Assam, CID sources said on Wednesday.
"Dipak worked for a long time as Kisenji's dummy and could imitate his voice," CID sources told PTI. Maoist documents, a pen drive and Rs 15,000 in cash were found in the possession of the 45-year-old Maoist leader who was arrested in Kolkata last evening. A court on Wednesday remanded him to 14 days in police custody.

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PM moves residence to 'Gono Bhaban'
Dhaka, 3 March : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will move her residence to 'Gono Bhaban' from state guesthouse Jamuna on Wednesday.
Gono Bhaban was allocated for Sheikh Hasina as per the Father of the Nation’s Family Members Security Act 2009, Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told.
Hasina and her family on 6 February last year moved into 'Jamuna' from 'Sudha Sadan' in Dhanmondi, which was being considered unsafe for her since her party's landslide victory in the recent parliamentary election held on 29 December last year. န Photo : Google Earth

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West Bengal govt opposes National Education Council Bill

Kolkata, 3 March : The West Bengal government is all set to oppose the draft for the National Council of Higher Education Research Bill in its present form, saying it would lead to “over centralisation” of higher education thereby reducing the authority of state governments. The state government, it is learnt, is garnering support from other states in opposing the Bill.
A meeting of various vice-chancellors of the state was held on 24 February where a majority expressed concerns on the Bill in its present form. A public discussion on the Bill will be conducted by representatives of the Ministry of Human Resources and Development and members of the task force of the Bill on 3 March. Sources in the higher education department said that the government is ready with its homework to counter the Bill.
The Bill envisages a National Council for Higher Education to replace other regulatory bodies like the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the University Grants Commission (UGC). The council was recommended by the Yaspal Committee for rejuvenating higher education.

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India keen to quiz Jaish-e-Mohammed man, arrested in BD
Kolkata, 3 March : A team of Indian security officials will visit Bangladesh to question a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operative arrested in Dhaka recently.
Citing top government sources there, our New Delhi sources reports that the team will quiz 35-year-old Nannu Mia alias Belal Mandol alias Billal, who has admitted involvement in the hijack of an Indian Airlines plane in December 1999. Billal was arrested on Sunday along with four other suspected JeM militants including a Pakistani national. The Indian govt. sources said he is wanted in connection with the blasts in Bangalore and Surat in 2008. They, however, have yet to be sure if he was complicit in the hijack.

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GJM suspends hunger-strike in Hill ahead of tripartite talks

PTI, Kolkata, 3 March : With the Centre agreeing to hold tripartite talks at the political level with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on the Darjeeling issue, the outfit agitating for a separate state of Gorkhaland today suspended its ongoing hunger-strike.
"We have decided to suspend the hunger-strike from today for creating a conducive atmosphere for the talks," GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri told PTI over phone from Darjeeling. Indian Home Minister P Chidamabaram had said yesterday in Delhi that the tripartite meeting at the political level will be held on 18 March among the Central government, the West Bengal government and the GJM to find a solution.

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Dhaka Metropolitan Police opens service to file GD online
Dhaka, 3 March : The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on Wednesday launched a new service for the city dwellers to file general diaries online.
A total 41 police stations under DMP will come under the service in the first phase, Additional Inspector General (ICT) of police Mohammad Shah Alam told media. A person could lodge GD online at www.police.gov.bd, he added. The metropolitan police launched five other services for common people at Uttara Police Station that will also be introduced in 40 other police stations on Thursday.

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W Bengal committee to address solid waste management

Kolkata, March 3 : The West Bengal government has formed an expert committee to address municipal solid waste management and recycling in various urban areas across the state, a minister said Wednesday.
"The state government has a deep concern about the whole issue, considering the urbanisation boom taking place in various parts of the state," West Bengal Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Ashok Bhattacharya said while addressing a seminar on solid waste management here. He said the government had already taken up a number of waste management projects totalling Rs.212 crore that would benefit nearly 35 lakh people across the state.
Bhattacharya said: "We must look for alternative areas to dump solid wastes that we collect from various municipal areas. "The government is now trying to develop proper infrastructure and waste recycling units to manage the issue," he added.

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Bangladesh to get share of US food security : Ambassador
Dhaka, 3 March : USA will provide Bangladesh with a major share of its food security fund in the coming years, US Ambassador James F Moriarty said on Wednesday.
Bangladesh will also get special focus on this issue in the G-8 summit scheduled to be held in July, the US envoy told Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury during a meeting at the latter’s office. “The US president will prioritise Bangladesh in his speech in the G-8 summit,” Moriarty told Matia, says a press release of the agriculture ministry. The US diplomat also proposed Bangladesh to convene a forum on food security involving the US and other development partners in May to prepare a national position paper on the issue.

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Railway tracks blocked in Assam over elephant deaths

PTI, Guwahati, 3 March : Environmental activists today blocked railway tracks in the Kamakhya-Jogighopa section here demanding removal of tracks from elephant corridors near World Heritage wetland site of Deepor Beel.
This resulted in the delay in movement of trains including the Guwahati-Gandhidham Express for over two hours. An adult female elephant was run over by a goods train near the Deepor Beel when she had come down the hill along with a herd to drink water on Sunday while another was hit by a train in the same area last year. The Assam unit of People for Animals also submitted a memorandum to North Eastern Frontier Railway demanding removal of the tracks as speeding trains run over elephants.
"The construction of the Kamakhya-Jogighopa section through the wetland was done without giving due consideration to the wildlife which are regularly mowed down by speeding trains," PFA chairperson Sangeeta Goswami told reporters. န File Photo : Chinmoy Roy

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Nabard sanctions 6 tribal development projects in WBengal

Kolkata, 3 March : The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned six tribal development programmes in West Bengal under Wadi projects. The Wadi projects are aimed at tribal welfare through job creation. The project in West Bengal is estimated to benefit nearly 2,800 tribal families in Bankura, Birbhum, Darjeeling and Coochbehar districts, according to a press release by Nabard.
The total assistance sanctioned under project is Rs 12.61 crore, including a grant assistance of Rs 11.49 crore, and a loan component of Rs 1.12 crore. Based on the experience of the project in Gujarat, Nabard has started replicating the “Wadi” model across the country.
In West Bengal, location specific activities were identified in consultation with the participant tribal families and these include development of horticulture gardens with mango, cashew, lime, guava, in combination; piggery, goat farming and bee keeping, said Mohanaia, Chief General Manager, Nabard. For the first time, total organic farming with organic certification by an accredited agency is being contemplated in the hill district of Darjeeling where cultivation of fruit crops like orange, peach, plum and vegetables will be taken up under Wadi project. The financial assistance for Wadi is provided from Tribal Development Fund (TDF) set up by Nabard.

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Maoist leader Deepak, who masterminded Silda attack arrested

Kolkata, 2 March : The West Bengal CID on Tuesday arrested a top Maoist leader who is believed be the mastermind behind the Silda attack.
Venkateshwar Reddy alias Telugu Deepak, who is Chairman of CPI (Maoist)'s State Military Commission, West Bengal Chapter, is a close aide of Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji. The attack on the security force camp in Silda killed 24 Eastern Frontier Rifles personnel. Sources said Deepak was wanted in connection with a number of incidents of Maoist violence. Deepak would be questioned by a joint team of the state intelligence department and central security forces, they added.

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Taslima denies writing article, says it's attempt to malign her
PTI, New Delhi, 2 March : Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen on Tuesday said the appearance of an article in a Karnataka newspaper purportedly written by her, which triggered violent protests in Shimoga and Hassan towns, is a "deliberate attempt to malign" her and "misuse" her writings to create disturbance in the society.
Nasreen said in a statement made available to PTI that she never penned any article for a newspaper in Karnataka. "The incident that occurred in Karnataka on Monday shocked me. I learned that it was provoked by an article written by me that appeared in a Karnataka newspaper. But I have never written any article for any Karnataka newspaper in my life," she said. Nasreen said, "The appearance of the article is atrocious. In any of my writings I have never mentioned that ProphetMuhammad was against burkha. Therefore, this is a distorted story." The author said, "I suspect that it is a deliberate attempt to malign me and to misuse my writings to create disturbance in the society. I wish peace will prevail."
Nasreen, staying in an undisclosed destination due to security reasons since her return to India last month, had her visa extended recently by six months till August this year.

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BD Prime Minister Sheikh unveils ambitious digital scheme

UNB, Dhaka, 2 March : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday opened an ambitious digital scheme to bring all union parishads under fibre optic cable network.
Under the scheme styled “Digital Bangladesh: Plan of Connecting People”, 1000 union parishads will be connected with the network by next one year.
All hospital and schools of the country to get computers, and community e-centers will be set up at every upazila under the programme, the prime minister said while unveiling the project at a local city hotel. န Photo : PID

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Uneasy calm in Tagore’s abode of peacae after dol violence
IANS, Bolpur, 2 March : An uneasy calm prevailed in the campus of Visva Bharati University at Shantiniketan two days after unprecedented violence between student groups took a toll on the Basanta Utsav, the popular spring festival.
All students have been asked to carry their identity cards while roaming around the premises especially during night hours. “We have issued a notice to all students instructing them to carry identity cards all the times, especially between 8 pm and 5 am (next morning). We have also restricted the movement of any outsiders within the campus in the evening.
“Police patrolling vans have been asked to intensify their vigilance as well during the night hours,” Amiatava Chowdhurythe spokesperson of Visva Bharati University, popularly known as Shantiniketan, told IANS.

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Electricity price hiked by 7.62 % by Bangladesh ERC
Dhaka, 2 March : Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission on Tuesday announced a hike in electricity prices for Dhaka city household subscribers from 4 to 7.62 percent.
The new prices take effect from 1 March. This is the first time the AL-led government increased the price of electricity since it took power last year. The household subscribers were paying Tk 2.50 for first 100 units.

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Vehicular strike against fuel price hikes hits life in Tripura

Agartala, 2 March : Normal life in Tripura was badly affected on Tuesday with the frontal organisations of the ruling CPI(M) enforcing a one-day vehicular strike to protest the hikes in prices of petrol and diesel.
Trade unions, including the Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) affiliated to the CPI(M), called the shutdown demanding rollback of the hikes. "Rejecting the Left parties' demand to remove duty from the petroleum products, the union budget had raised central excise duty on the fuels from Friday midnight," CITU Tripura unit general secretary Pijush Nag told reporters. He said: "Total success of the transport strike shows denouncement of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's decision to raise the fuel prices."
"When the common people are already facing the severe heat of price rise of essential commodities, the UPA government put a fresh burden on 'aam admi' (common man) by increasing duty on petroleum products," Nag stated. န Photo : Parthajit Dutta

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CITU's Tripura strike halts trade through Akhaura Land Port
Akhaura, 2 March : The export and import through Akhaura Land Port in Brahmanbaria remained suspended on Tuesday following a strike enforced by CITU in Tripura.
Port sources said 250 truckloads of Bangladeshis goods are exported to India on average everyday through the Akhaura port, an export-based land port. Today, 200 trucks got stranded at Akhaura Land Port. While contacted, Indro Mohan Das, Landport Custom Officer (LCO) of Akhaura Land Port, told Bengal Newz, due to the strike, Bangladesh-India trade through the land port remained suspended.

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Carcass of 18 dead monkeys found in Army swimming pool

Siliguri, 2 March : At least 15 monkeys were found dead in a swimming pool in Darjeeling district Tuesday under mysterious circumstances, a senior forest official said.
The incident took place in Bangdubi area of Siliguri sub-division. The bodies were recovered from a swimming pool that belonged to the Indian Army. 'We have received the information this morning (Tuesday) from the army personnel and we have sent our teams to the spot. Our officials are investigating the matter,' the state's Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Atanu Raha said. He said the forest department officials would determine whether the monkeys were deliberately poisoned or if they died of some disease.
'It's really very alarming. Such an incident never happened in any part of this state earlier. We'll send the bodies for post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death,' Raha said, adding the army personnel were cooperating with the state forest department officials to probe the case. န Photo : Reuters

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Climate initiatives not enough, says minister H Mahmud

UNB, Dhaka, 2 March : Bangladesh State Minister for Environment and Forest Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday said initiatives to face challenges of climate change are not enough considering its devastating impact in Bangladesh.
“Climate change is not merely a threat, it’s now a reality in Bangladesh… that’s why initiatives are not enough,” he said at the `Environment Strategy Consultation’, organised by the World Bank, at Sonargaon Hotel in the city. Speaking as chief guest, Hasan Mahmud said: “We’re affected by all the negative factors caused by global climate changes… Bangladesh is prepared to face the adverse impact of climate change.”
He said in the changed situation caused by climate change, the people of the coastal belt in the country already set an example by showing their adaptation power. Director General of Department of Environment (DoE) Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan was the special guest at the programme, chaired by World Bank country director Ellen A Goldstein. World Bank’s lead environment specialist Ernesto Sanchez-Triana presented the keynote paper at the session.
World Bank is currently organising `Environment Strategy-2010 Consultation’ in its client countries, as it is going to finalise the `World Bank Group Environmental Strategy’ by December 2010 in order to better plan and manage the bank’s development assistance.

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