Indo-Bangla Joint River Commission's secretary-level talks :

Teesta differences 'narrowed down'
Dhaka, 5 January : The Indo-Bangla Joint River Commission's secretary-level talks in Dhaka have resolved some issues but could not reach a consensus on sharing of the Teesta water.
After the two-day meeting ended yesterday, both sides however claimed to have narrowed down differences on the all-important Teesta issue and agreed to settle it expeditiously. Sources following the discussions at close quarters hint that a deal might be finalised during the prime minister's upcoming visit to India. At a joint press briefing at state guesthouse Meghna, delegations of the two countries said dredging of the Ichamati river and the work on protection of the common river banks will begin next month.
“We have narrowed the gap and agreed to continue discussions,” said UN Panjiar, chief of the Indian delegation. The meeting also discussed new lists of proposed embankments and measures to protect common river banks. န Photo : Firoz Ahmed

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Lawbreakers will be brought to booked
UNB, Dhaka, 5 January : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday categorically said anyone responsible for deteriorating the law and order situation of the country would be brought to book.
"The government will also not tolerate any negligence in maintaining the law and order," she warned while addressing the inaugural function of the Police Week 2010 at Rajarbagh Police Lines in the city. The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to take stern action against those violating the law and order.

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Anti-Maoist operations in Midnapore, failure: Mamata

Kolkata, 5 January : Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that the tribal unrest in West Midnapore district was not a Maoist problem and described operations against the Maoist as a failure.
Pointing out that people of all political parties were being killed in West Midnapore, she told reporters, "this is not a Maoist problem like in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. It is a group clash between the have's and have not's of CPI(M)". Claiming that the joint operations carried out by the central and state police forces in the district were "a complete failure", she said, "If it has to succeed, then only central forces or the army should be deployed there." "I do not support the joint operations. We support the tribal cause and not armed resistance," she said, adding that even former Naxalites who had taken to democracy were being killed.
She also alleged that timber from jungles in Lalgarh was being sold to buy weapons for CPI(M) cadre with the help of the Left Front government.

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NGL Workers demand reopening of Nippon Garments

Dhaka, 5 January : Several hundred workers of Tongi's Nippon Garments Ltd staged protests in front of BGMEA Bhaban on Tuesday demanding disbursement of outstanding salaries and reopening of the factory.
The workers laid a siege on Panthapath link road at about 1:00pm halting traffic for two hours. Police stepped in around 3:00pm and dispersed the protesters. Three people had died in the late October labour unrest in Tongi following the closure of Nippon Garment Industries Ltd. The workers at that time alleged that the authorities of the garment factory announced the shutdown suddenly to deprive them of Eid bonuses. The workers said they could not sense such a move even the day before.
Nippon Garments Ltd, owned by Abedin Group, started its operation at Auchpara in Tongi in 1982. န Photo : Firoz Ahmed

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Andaman to host Island Tourism Festival from 6 January

UNI, Port Blair, 5 January : The Andaman and Nicobar Islands will host a tourism festival from January 6 to promote travel and tourism in these remote archipelagoes.

Director of Andaman's Tourism Department Vinay Bhushan told UNI today that,''We are all set for Island Tourism Festival. It will showcase the developmental activities of travelling departments.'' Besides, the projection of tourism activities of public sectors, the festival will also have participation from private entrepreneurs. Cultural programmes will be staged in different venues and it is being organised by the Sports, Art and Culture Department. Like in the previous years, this year also the Hasya Kavi Sammelan will be an added attraction.
There will also be flower, fruit and vegetable shows being organised by the Andaman's Directorate of Agriculture at ITF ground on 12 and 13 January respectively, he added. About 162 artistes besides officials from South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur, East Zone Cultural Centre and Song and Drama Division from Kolkata have already arrived here to participate in the event.

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Fog disrupts Maowa ferry service, 8hr
Munshiganj, 5 January : Ferry service on Maowa-Kawrakandi route was disrupted for about eight hours from 1:00am(BDST) Tuesday due to dense fog.
During the period, four ferries stranded in the middle of the river Padma, causing immense sufferings to more than 1,500 people. Assistant Director of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Shekhor Roy told BSS that the ferry service at Maowa came to a halt at about 1:00am and returned to normalcy at about 9:00am. Huge traffic congestion was created on both the sides of the ferry ghat as many vehicles got stranded due to the disruption of ferry service.

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