Budget : IT sops, air travel, health check-up to become costlier

PTI, New Delhi, 28 February : A play-safe budget today raised the threshold income tax exemption limit from Rs 1.60 lakh to Rs 1.80 lakh that will leave at least Rs 2000 more in the hands of tax payers across the board and made changes in the service tax that will make air travel, hotel accommodation and drinking in AC restaurants costlier.
Presenting the budget for 2011-12 that will result in a net revenue loss of Rs 200 crore, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee imposed an excise duty of one per cent on 130 specified items which will, however, exempt food and fuel.
He also gave some relief to corporates by reducing the current income tax surcharge of 7.5 per cent on domestic companies to five per cent but raised the Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) from 18 to 18.5 per cent including developers of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in it.

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Bangladeshi nationals start returning home from Libya
UNB, Dhaka, 28 February : The first group of 101 Bangladeshi nationals arrived here this (Monday) afternoon from Libya via Istanbul while another 1,000 Bangladeshis are expected to return home by 2-3 March.
Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes disclosed this during a regular press briefing on the issue of evacuation of Bangladeshis from violence-torn Libya. He said more than 8,800 Bangladeshis have either left or are poised to leave Libya by ships or buses to safer destinations in Greece, Egypt, Tunisia and Malta.
The Foreign Secretary said 700 Bangladeshis, who were stranded at Tripoli International Airport, will be shifted to Tunisia by buses tomorrow with the help of IOM. Giving a break-up of evacuation, he said Korean Hanil Company will shift 1,500 Bangladeshis to Tunisia while Daewoo will shift 2,000 to Piraeus island of Greece.
Some 3,500 Bangladeshis have already reached the Egyptian border. Of them 1,000 were given travel documents today to enter Egypt from where they will be brought back to Bangladesh.
Already 804 Bangladeshis reached Crete Island of Greece by a ship arranged by Chinese State Company. They will be accommodated at a hotel arranged by the Bangladesh government.

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Ruling Leftfont sweeps Tripura Autonomous District Council poll

Agartala, 27 February : The Left Font today registered a massive victory in the Tripura Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) village committee elections and byelections in 73 village panchayats and seven panchayat samitis in non-ADC area, held on 24 February.
Election officials said here that 461 village committees of 527 were captured by the Left Front, while Opposition Congress-INPT and Independent candidates won 56 and one villages respectively.
Earlier, Left front candidates had won nine village committees without contest.
Similarly, Left front swept all seven panchayat samitis and 65 of 73 panchayats in byelection and Opposition Congress succeeded in eight village panchayats.

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Partex Group chairman Hashem arrest in 'tax evasion case'
Dhaka, 27 February : Former BNP lawmaker and Partex Group chairman M A Hashem was today arrested in tax evasion case.
Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police arrested him when he was passing through the Lake Road at about 6pm (BDST). Last week Metro special judge’s court issued order warrant of arrest for his failure to appear on three consecutive dates impeding framing of charge in the case.

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Hasina hands over cheques to families of slain BDR officers

Dhaka, 27 February : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday handed over cheques to the family members of the army officers killed during the BDR mutiny two years back.
The cheques totaling Tk 4.80 lakh were distributed at a simple ceremony at the PM’s official residence Ganabhaban. A total of 25 banks provided the cheques for the families of the 58 slain army officers. Bangladesh Association of Banks’ (BAB) arranged the money from their members.
After handing over the cheques, the Prime Minister affectionately treated the slain army officers’ family members. PM’s Adviser Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, PM’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad and BAB president Nazrul Islam Majumder were, among others, present.

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7 Jan' Netai killings: Judicial custody for two CPI(M) leaders
Kolkata, 27 February : A court in West Midnapore district Sunday sent two CPI(M) leaders to 14 days judicial custody for their alleged role in the 7 January Netai shootings which left nine people dead and several injured, police said.
‘Abani Singh and Ashwini Chlak were presented before the Jhargram court and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days,’ Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) Superintendent of Police and in-charge of Special Crime Branch (Kolkata) Arun Bothra said.

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NDFB militant arrested in Meghalaya's Indo-Bangla border
UNI, Shillong, 27 February : The Border Security Force (BSF) today arrested a top National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) from Baldova area in Meghalaya bordering the Indo-Bangla border.
Anjima Boro (37), the self-styled NDFB Major, was arrested by the BSF troopers while he was trying to enter the Indian territory in states West Garo Hills district. Boro, who joined NDFB in the year 1998 and underwent arms training at Bhutan, was involved in extortion of money and helped his cadres to cross over to Bangladesh from Meghalaya. He mostly remained stationed at Buxiganj of Distt Jamalpur in Bangladesh.

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BD’s 5th population,housing census to be held 15-19 March

UNB, Dhaka, 27 February : The next Bangladesh's Population and Housing Census will be held from 15-19 March this year with the focus on accuracy to enumerate the households, families and population across the country.
This will be the 5th census in the country after the last census was held in 2001. The population census is held every ten years.
Bangladesh has a long history of census. The first one conducted in this territory was in 1872 under the British. After Independence, the four Population and Housing Census were held in 1974, 1981, 1991 and 2001. The country’s population was 7,63,98,000 in 1974; the number was 8,99,12,000 in 1981; it was 11,14,55,185 in 1991 while the population rose to 13,05,22,598 in 2001.

Digital enumeration map and computerized geo-coding system would be used to process the data in the shortest possible time and disseminate results simultaneously in hard and soft formats, as well as on the web page.
“The preparations are going on in full swing for successfully holding the census,” said Statistics Division Secretary Riti Ibrahim while recently talking to UNB correspondent Golam Moin Uddin.
The Statistics Division Secretary said that there would be around 2,800 zones across the country for the supervision of the census process with the BBS officers and staffs acting as zonal officers. The zonal officers will look after the supervisors while some 6-7 enumerators will work under a supervisor.
The number of supervisors will be around 57,000 while the enumerators will number around 3,10,000. Each of the enumerators will collect data from 120 households. The zonal officers would recruit the enumerators and supervisors from the local youths prioritizing the females.
To conduct the census, Riti Ibrahim said, the country would be divided into 130 census districts.
She said that only the floating people would be brought under enumeration from 14 March midnight (12:00 am) to 15 March (6:00 am) following the modified Defacto method. This will also be used as reference night.
Riti Ibrahim said that there will be 25 questions for the enumeration including 11 household related and 14 individual related. The question of disability will be included in the individual category while questions on ethnicity will fall in the household category. Some 18 specific ethnic communities will be mentioned in the questionnaire.

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BNP trying to do politics with 'BDR carnage' again : PM Hasina

BSS, Chittagong, 26 February : Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the main opposition BNP is trying to do politics centring the BDR carnage again as it did not want to see peaceful solution of the crisis.
"BNP did not want a peaceful solution of BDR carnage. rather it wanted to do politics with the incident that took place on 25-26 February in 2009 in its headquarters at Pilkhana in Dhaka," she said while exchanging views with Awami League leaders at the Circuit House here this afternoon.

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< WB forest workers and Veterinarian attend to a injured python at the Sukna animal rescue centre on the outskirts of Siliguri on Saturday. A giant Python weighing some 50 kgs was recovered by a forest guard after it was badly injured by a wild elephant. န Photo : AFP

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ONGC likely to complete its 1st power project by December

Economic Times, 26 February : ONGC's first power venture in India, the 85 billion, 727-MW gas-based power plants in Tripura, is likely to be completed by December, a year before schedule.
"The project will start earning revenues a year earlier than scheduled, which will add to the topline as well as the bottomline of the company," AK Hazarika, chairman and managing director, told Economic Times today.
An MoU signed between ONGC Tripura Power Company (OTPC), a unit of ONGC, and the Bangladesh government in November 2010 for moving very heavy equipment through Bangladesh waterways will help OTPC save a year. ONGC, which is setting up two gas-based power units each of 363.3 MW in Tripura, had earlier planned to complete the first by December 2011 and the second by December 2012.

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Evacuation of Bangladeshi workers begin from Libya : FS
Dhaka, 26 February : Bangladeshi workers started leaving the strife-torn Libya towards safer places in Egypt, Tunisia and Greece, the Foreign Secretary said here today.
Briefing reporters at the Foreign Ministry in the, Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes said some 804 workers were being shifted by a ship from Benghazi to Crete Island in Greece by Chinese State Company that had recruited 750 of these workers.

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Bangladeshis demand return of stranded "Libya" expats

Reuters, Dhaka, 26 February : Families and relatives of expatriate Bangladeshis now trapped in Libya blocked a road near Dhaka on Saturday to demand their quick repatriation, police said.
"More than 1,000 people blocked a highway connecting the capital and the northeastern city of Sylhet for several hours," said a police officer at Bhairab, 100 km (60 miles) northwest of Dhaka. The protesters called upon the government to quickly bring the expatriate workers home, the police officer said. They dispersed after senior police officers assured them their message would be conveyed to the government.
"Steps have been taken to rescue the trapped expatriate Bangladeshis from different locations in Libya," Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes told reporters in Dhaka. Some 1,500 Bangladeshis have already left Libya and taken refuge in neighbouring countries. No Bangladeshi casualties have been reported so far.
More than 50,000 Bangladeshi workers are employed in different Libyan and international firms operating at different areas mainly in Bengazi, foreign ministry officials said. န Photo : Reuters

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We will not go for land grabbing : WB Trinamool Congress
Kolkata, 26 February : Trinamool Congress will not opt for land grabbing to set up industries if it comes to power in West Bengal, party MLA and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Partha Chatterjee said today.
"We will have a land bank put in place if our party comes to power," Chatterjee said, adding, if land needed to be acquired it would be on the basis of consensus. Criticising the Left Front government for its alleged failure to set up industries during its three-and-half decades-long rule, Chatterjee said "The present disposition instead of providing support system to industries acted as middlemen."

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Tripura interests ignored in Rail budget : Transport Minister

Agartala, 26 February : Left Front government in Tripura expressed dissatisfaction over rail budget.
“The UPA government completely ignored the entire northeast”, said Transport Minister Manik Dey. He said that the budget did not spell out anything about long standing demand of South Assam, Mizoram and Tripura of gauge conversion and security issues in hill sections between Lumbding-Badarpur.
“Both Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh had signed agreement in January 2010 regarding alternative railway link between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka and a few kilometres stretch from Agartala to Akhaura to be linked but nothing was found in the budget,” Dey rued. န Photo : Parthajit Dutta

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Singer Dr Bhupen Hazarika shows signs of improvement

Guwahati, 26 February : The condition of well-known singer, music director Dr. Bhupen Hazarika is stated to be improving. On Thursday evening, Dr. Hazarika was admitted to Guwahati based Hayat Hospital after he developed respiratory problems.
Officials at the hospital said that the legendary singer had suffered an acute left ventricular failure but has shown considerable improvement since Friday. They further added that his recovery has been satisfactory but the doctors who are watching over him are not taking any chances because his past medical records state that he is also a heart patient, apart from being a diabetic with high blood pressure. Dr. Hazarika is now taking food, and doctors are very much satisfied with the improvement.

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Mizoram to unilaterally constitute "Boundary Commission"
PTI, Aizawl, 26 February : Mizoram government has said it would unilaterally constitute a Boundary Commission to look into the border dispute issue with neighbouring Assam.
A press statement issued by three major students organisations of Mizoram said that chief minister Lal Thanhawla assured the student leaders who met him yesterday that necessary steps were being taken to settle border dispute with Assam, including formation of a Boundary Commission. Lal Thanhawla was also quoted as stressing the need for Mizos to physically occupy and till the land within the territory of Mizoram.

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Tusker kills mother with kid at Atal teagarden in N. Bengal
Siliguri, 26 February : A wild tusker killed a mother andher two and half year daughter at the labour line in Atal teagarden about 25 km from here yesterday, officials said.
The huge tusker raided the garden at around 3.00 am anddemolished a house. The entire labour line woke up and startedrunning for safety. One Prakash Tamang managed to flee with his two daughtersfrom the advancing tusker but his wife, Devi carrying theiryoungest kid, failed to escape. The tusker lifted them with its trunk, threw them on theground and then trampled them to death. The tusker damaged fewmore houses before it disappeared to the dense forest of itsown.

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Finance Minister releases Rs 150 "commemorative coin"

PTI, New Delhi, 26 February : Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said direct taxes collections have risen by 20 per cent to Rs 3.35 lakh crore so far during the current financial year.
Direct taxes collections have grown at an average annual rate of 24 per cent in the last five years and has nearly trebled from Rs 1,32,771 crore in 2004-05 to about Rs 3,78,000 crore in 2009-10.
It's share in GDP has also increased from 4.1 percent to 6.1 percent.
"This sustained growth has been possible due to rationalisation of tax structure, improvement in tax administration and persistent efforts of the employees of Income Tax department,' Mukherjee said here.
"Direct taxes collections have registered a growth of 20 per cent during the current fiscal so far and have reached nearly Rs 3.35 lakh crore", the finance minister said. န Photo : PTI

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Rail Budget 2011 : A passenger-friendly Budget, says Mamata

PTI, New Delhi, 25 February : Describing Rail Budget 2011-12 as "environment and passenger-friendly", Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today said it has addressed all issues.
"Whether passenger related issues or environment related or for that matter any thing...every isssue is dealt with. The budget is passenger-friendly, environment-friendly," she told PTI.
Describing the year 2011-12 as the "Year of Green Energy" in her budget, Mamata has proposed to upgrade 442 stations as Adarsh stations ( junctions), setting up budget hotels at 45 locations and launching a new portal for e-ticketing among others.
Asked about the logic behind not raising passenger fares, she said there are issues like cleanliness, quality of food being served in trains and other issues concerning rail pasengers. "We should increase the fares only after improving these services," she said. န Photo : PTI

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Railway Min. Mamata has played tricks with figures : CPIM
PTI, New Delhi, 25 February : Terming the Rail Budget as an "exercise in deceit", the CPI(M) today alleged that Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had "cunningly juggled" figures to show improved financial position of the PSU behemoth which it claimed had been turned bankrupt.
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said the Railway Minister has played with figures to project an operating ratio of 91.1% for 2011-12 which he claimed has touched 115% at present. "Railways have paid Rs 1700 crore less as dividend," and has therefore been able to show an improved operating ratio, he said.

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President Zillur Rahman leaves for Kuwait on 3dy state visit
Dhaka, 25 February : Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman on Friday left here for Kuwait on a three-day state visit to attend the golden jubilee celebration of State of Kuwait's Independence.
A special flight sent by the Ameer of Kuwait carried the President from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 2:10pm (BDST).

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Exhibition Rly to go on cultural exchange programme to BD
ANI, New Delhi, 25 February : Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that "Sanskriti Express", a special exhibition train to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore is set to go on a cultural exchange programme to Bangladesh on an invitation by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
She said Sheikh Hasina has suggested 'Sonar Tori' as the name of the train and the suggestion has been accepted. Sanskriti Express launched in May 2010 is showcasing artistic works, philosophy and teachings of Gurudev. The train has been moving across the country and has been visited by more than 24 lakh people in 18 States so far.
" Several other special exhibition trains such as "Mother Express", a tribute to Mother Teresa on her birth centenary and "Aurobindo Express" have also been run to disseminate the message of these great personalities. In addition, running of "Vivekanada Express" will be extended for two years upto his 150th birth anniversary in 2013," she said.

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World Bank approves $ 1.2bn IDA credit for Padma Bridge

UNB, Dhaka, 25 February : The World Bank has approved a US$ 1.2 billion concessional IDA credit to Bangladesh for the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project in order to improve connectivity and boost opportunities for people in the southwest Bangladesh.
Spanning the Padma River, the world’s third largest 6.1 km long bridge will connect nearly 30 million people in the Southwest region to the rest of the country, enhancing their access to markets and services while accelerating growth as a whole.
The bridge, the largest IDA credit ever, will reduce distances to capital Dhaka by about 100 km while cutting travel times in half from most areas of Southwest Bangladesh.
Given its size, complexity and expected impact on local communities, the bridge includes state of the art safeguards and accountability features. Transparency has been emphasized throughout every step of its preparation and design.
“We’ve been working closely with the Government of Bangladesh on a `Governance and Accountability Action Plan’ that ensures strict supervision to prevent fraud or corruption, and guarantees quality and transparency,” said Isabel Guerrero, World Bank South Asia Vice President.

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Eco growth could rise to 10pc in three years: Kaushik Basu
PTI, New Delhi, 25 February : With the economy recovering faster than anticipated, Chief Economic Advisor Kaushik Basu today said India's economic growth rate could be in double digits in the next three years.
Referring to the impact of political turmoil in the Middle East, he said the crisis would not hurt the economy unless the crude oil prices rise to "abnormally" high levels. Inflation, however, would continue to be an area of concern, said Basu, the main author of the Economic Survey 2010-11, which was tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee earlier in the day.

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Russia to build Bangladesh's first $1.5 billion nuclear plant

AP, Dhaka, 25 February : Russia has agreed to build energy-starved Bangladesh's first nuclear power plant, the government said Friday.
Bangladesh's Ministry of Science said officials from the two countries signed an agreement in Dhaka late Thursday for the $1.5 billion plant.
Russia will supply two reactors capable of generating a total of 2,000 megawatts of electricity for the plant, which is to be built by 2018, the ministry said. It will also supply fuel for the plant and take back the spent fuel, it said.
Russia also will train workers to run the plant, to be built in Rooppur, 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of Dhaka. Relations between the two countries have been close since Russia backed Bangladesh in its 1971 war of independence with Pakistan.
Bangladesh's decades-old gas-fired power plants are unable to generate enough electricity for the country's 150 million people, with a daily shortfall of about 2,000 megawatts. Businesses complain that the shortages interfere with production.
The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank say Bangladesh's economy, which has grown by more than 5 percent in recent years, will suffer if more electricity is not generated to support industries and agriculture.

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Nandigram firing: Supreme Court seeks CBI investigation report

PTI, New Delhi, 24 February : The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the CBI to place its investigation report in the 2007 Nandigram firing incident before it to decide on initiating criminal proceedings against the erring police officials in the case.
A Bench comprising Justices R.V. Raveendran and A.K. Patnaik directed the agency to file its report in sealed cover within two weeks to decide whether the stay on initiating criminal proceedings against the police officials could be vacated or not.
The Bench had on 13 December, 2007 restrained the agency from initiating further proceedings in the case on the ground that a Constitution Bench was examining whether apex court and High Courts have the jurisdiction to order CBI probe or not.
But it had later agreed to hear the plea of CBI for vacation of stay after the Constitution bench held that court can direct CBI probe in a case. The court also directed the agency, which was reluctant to share its findings with the State government, to give it a copy of its report.
It however, refused to pass order on a petition filed by NHRC seeking compensation for the victims of 2nd and 3rd round of firings. The court asked the commission to approach the Calcutta High Court for this.
The High Court had directed the West Bengal Government to pay a uniform compensation of Rs 5 lakh to families of each of the 14 persons killed and Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh to those raped and injured.
Following the firing on 14 March, 2007, the Calcutta High Court had asked the CBI to inquire as to what prompted the police to open fire when thousands of villagers had gathered to protest attempts by the police to enter Nandigram. န File Photo : Raghunandan Mallick

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TTAADC's Village Committee Polls large peaceful in Tripura
Agartala, 24 February : About 82 percent casting was recorded till 4pm in 4021 seats of 527 village committees under Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) which began this morning with high security.
State Election Commissioner YP Singh said here that there was no report of any interruption or untoward incident till Thursday afternoon, but the final percentage of polled votes could be clear after 8pm. He said, polling was by and large peaceful. As many as 6,71,163 voters would decide the fate of the 8525 candidates of seven different parties in the battle of the ballots in 1355 polling stations across the hilly parts of the state.

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GJM launches indefinite hunger strike for Gorkhaland state
UNI, Siliguri, 24 February : Strengthening their agitation the GJM today launched indefinite hunger strike in the three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling district and plains to press for a separate Gorkhaland and a CBI inquiry into the Sibchu police firing.
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha activists began an indefinite hunger strike at five places a day after a prolonged bandh was called off to allow students to take the class ten board exams. GJM`s press and publicity secretary Dr Harka Bahadur Chhetry said the hunger strike for Gorkhaland, carved out of some northern parts of West Bengal, was being held in the three hill sub-divisions, the plains of Salugara and outskirts of Siliguri.
They are also demanding a CBI probe into the February eight police firing in Sibchu which claimed three lives, including those of a youth and a woman. ''Three Gorkhaland personnel(GLP) and two ex-army men are participating in the indefinite hunger strike in every place - Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong, Mirick and Siliguri - till we get justice,'' Chhetry added.
GJM spokesman Rohit Sharma said another group would move to New Delhi to sit for a relay hunger strike at Jantar Mantar from 27 February. Meanwhile, normality returned to the Hills after GJM called off its indefinite bandh in the hilly regions of Darjeeling district from Wednesday, police stated. န Photo : AFP

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Kalyan Mazumdar re-elected Secretary of East Bengal club
Kolkata, 24 February : Kalyan Majumdar has been re-electedto the general secretary''s post of the East Bengal club after he beat challenger Kallol Dutta by a margin of 1299 votes here today.
The election was held on last Sunday while the countingof votes concluded late last night and the result was announced by the General (Retired) Shankar Roy Chowdhury, who was appointed as Special Officer to conduct the club election by Calcutta High Court. All the candidates who filed their nominations from the ruling group won their elections.

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Regional parties to form North East Democratic Forum: Rio
UNI, Botsa, 24 February : The regional parties of the North East have decided to set up common platform called North East Democratic Forum (NEDF), which will be launched in Guwahati on 18 March.
Talking to newsmen on the sidelines of a inauguration fuction of construction of a new road here, about 45 Kms from the state capital, this morning, Rio said the major regional political parties of Northeast met at New Delhi recently and decided to form the NEDF, with an objective to come together to raise a common voice for the development of the region. The Forum will take up all the regional issues, with a national outlook and to think globally.

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Coast Guard apprehends 23 poachers from Andaman Sea
UNI, Port Blair, 24 February : Indian Coast Guard Ship Aruna Asaf Ali, continuing its tirade against foreign poachers, has apprehended 23 Myanmarese poachers along with two mechanised boats from shallow waters off North Reef and Paget Islands in two swift operations conducted on Wednesday night.
According to Indian Coast Guard the coast guard ship intercepted the poachers as they were attempting to sneak out to Myanamar after illegally collecting Sea cucumber from the Andaman Sea.
''The ship while maintaining enhanced vigil during EEZ patrol off Indo-Myanmar international maritime border observed a suspicious movement and appreciating that the contact was attempting to cross into Myanmar waters, the ship manouvered to cut off the poacher's escape route.

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Tripura girl 'Dipa' dreams of becoming Asia’s best Gymnast
IANS, Agartala, 24 February : After setting a record by bagging five golds in the 34th National Games in Jharkhand, Tripura girl Dipa Karmakar now dreams of becoming the best gymnast in Asia.
‘If I get suitable equipments, I can easily beat Asian girls including those of China and Japan,’ said Dipa confidently on arriving here late Tuesday evening after setting a record in the National Games.
The 17-year-old gymnast made her maiden appearance in the National Games and showed efficiency and fluency in vault, uneven bars, beam and floor exercises – on her way to five golds, including the overall crown.
Thrilled by the huge reception at airport, Dipa told reporters: ‘Tripura has a tradition to achieve success in the gymnasts. If the Tripura boys and girls get appropriate coaching, equipments and scope, they will do well even at the international events.’ ‘The credit for my success goes to my coach Bisweshwar Nandi. I have dedicated all my medals to him,’ said Dipa, who also represented India in the Guangzhou Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi last year. ‘Sunday was my life’s best moment when I became the allround individual champion in my first appearance in the National Games.’

Nandi, a former international gymnast, has coached Dipa since she was a child and feels she can go far with adequate support. ‘I have always told everybody that Dipa has huge talent and skill and can do wonders in gymnastics if she gets adequate support,’ said Nandi, a ten-time national champion.
The Tripura government, the Tripura Gymnastic Association, the Tripura Olympic Association and other sports organisations are now busy giving a huge formal reception to Dipa next month after her higher secondary examination, which begins 28 February.
Deepa’s father and Sports Authority of India (SAI)’s weightlifting coach Dulal Karmakar said: ‘Tripura always has done well in India for gymnastics. On earlier occasions, several Tripura gymnasts had received medals in the national and international events.’ The proud father claimed that his daughter is determined to be one among the top gymnasts in the sub-continent.
He, however, felt that proper and modern equipment, similar to those used in China, Japan and Korea, were seriously needed to achieve the target.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar also met the golden girl and wished her success in future. ‘We would extend allout support to you in the 2012 Olympics. After your performance in the Asian Games and at the Commonwealth Games, we hope you would do better in the next edition,’ Sarkar was quoted by an official as saying to Dipa. န Photos : Parthajit Dutta

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India Govt to phase-out majority of MiG fighter aircrafts: Antony

PTI, New Delhi, 23 February : Against the backdrop of air crashes involving MiG fighters, India government today said it was planning to phase-out the majority of the Russian-origin jets from the Indian Air Force by 2017 and replace them with modern aircraft.

Defence Minister A K Antony told Rajya Sabha that a number of modern aircraft such as the Su-30 MKI, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and the Medium-Multirole Combat Aircraft (M- MRCA) would be procured to replace the squadrons of MiG 21s and MiG 23s.
The Air force have got a "clear-cut plan" to phase out these aircraft by 2017 and by the same time the induction of new aircraft like Sukhoi-30 MKI and, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) will begin, Antony said while replying to a member's query on flight safety during Question Hour. န File Photos

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'Kolkata' to 'Agartala' direct bus service via 'Dhaka' taken up
UNI, New Delhi, 23 February : There are bus services between Kolkata-Dhaka and Dhaka-Agartala, the Lok Sabha was informed today.
Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur in a written reply said that the bus services are governed by their respective protocols. "Our proposal to start a direct bus service between Kolkata-Agartala via Dhaka has also been taken up with the Bangladesh side,'' she added.

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President for more cooperation among air forces of SAARC

BSS, Dhaka, 23 February : Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman today asked Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal SM Ziaur Rahman to take measures for increasing cooperation with the air forces of other member countries of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
The President also emphasized the need for modernizing the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) through adopting advanced technologies for ensuring better performances in the service when the Air Chief called on him at Bangabhaban here.

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Five Maoists among 82 prisoners writing Madhyamik exams

Kolkata, 23 February : Eightytwo prisoners, including five Maoists, lodged in various correctional homes in West Bengal appeared in the state's secondary board examination that started Wednesday, an official said.
"Altogether, 82 prison inmates have appeared in the West Bengal Board of Secondary Examination - Madhyamik examination. This is a record in the history of correctional home services department of the state. Last year, only eight prison inmates appeared for the secondary examination," said Additional Director General and Inspector General of Police (correctional services) B.D. Sharma.
The written examination of Madhyamik will continue till March 7. Around 10.04 lakh examinees, of whom more than 50 percent are girls, Wednesday appeared in the first language paper. Of the 82 inmates, five were Maoists. န Photo : Somen Acharjee

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WBank to help Bangladesh achieve 'middle-income status'

BSS, Dhaka, 23 February : The World Bank's new Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Bangladesh for FY 2011-14 is aimed to reduce poverty from 40 to 15 percent and help transform Bangladesh into a middle-income country by 2021.
"The CAS supports the country's ambitious aspirations to reduce the poverty rate from 40 to 15 percent and achieve middle- income status by 2021," read the CAS, released here recently. The CAS builds on Bangladesh's surprisingly strong trackrecord on growth and human development over the past decade, it said.

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Normal life partially affected during 12hour Assam bandh
PTI, Kokrajhar (Assam), 23 February : Normal life was partially affected in several districts of the state following a 12-hour Assam Bandh sponsored today by the All Adivasi Students Association of Assam in protest against the killing of its President Bosco Charmaco yesterday, official sources said.
The bandh affected parts of Kokrajhar, Udalguri, Sonitpur, Darrang, Chirang and Karbi Anglong districts with vehicular traffic remaining off the roads and most shops, business establishments and educational institutions were closed. Though some government offices were open, the attendance was thin, the sources said.

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Extremist outfits in NE have training camps in B'desh : HM

PTI, New Delhi, 23 February : A large number of extremist outfits in north eastern states have their training camps in Bangladesh, but India was getting "splendid" cooperation from Dhaka after Sheikh Hasina became Prime Minister there, India Government today said in the Rajya Sabha.
"Many leaders of these groups have found sanctuaries across the border...a significant number of leaders of these groups are there...they have training camps there," Home Minister P Chidambaram said during Question Hour. He was responding to concerns about the cross border connections of extremist groups operating in the north east.
Chidambaram, however, said the cooperation extended by Bangladesh to contain the problem has been "splendid" since Hasina came to power there. န U B Photos

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Commercial manganese alloys production starts in Haldia
Haldia, Kolkata, 23 February : Rohit Ferro-Tech Ltd has announced that the third and fourth furnace of its 100% Export Oriented Units (EOUs) in Haldia has started commercial production of maganese alloys from today.
The production from the other two furnaces is also expected to start in a couple of months, it said in a statement. The company will make manganese alloys from this unit which is mainly targeted for exports, it added.

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Projects gets order worth Rs 1200 cr from NHAI for NH-34
Kolkata, 23 February : Madhucon Projects Ltd today said it has bagged an order from National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) worth Rs 1,200 crore.
The order is for four-laning of Barsasat-Krishnagar section of NH-34 in West Bengal, it said in a statemen.

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2 Day seminar-cum-farmers meet from 24 Feb in Andaman
Port Blair, 23 February : A two-day state-level Seminar-cum-Farmers Meet on Production Technology and Post Harvest Management in Horticulture and Allied Sectors will be organized by High Value Agriculture Development Agency, Directorate of Agriculture at Kerala Samajam Hall in Port Blair on 24 and 25 February.
It will be inaugurated by the Secretary (Agri.), A.S. Dagar as chief guest. Adhyaksha, Zilla Parishad, South Andaman, Tamilarasi and Adhyaksha, Zilla Parishad, North & Middle Andaman, Madhuri Giri will be guest of honour at the inaugural function.

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Milan Mela of poets, literary personalities of both Bangla...

BSS, Rangpur, 23 February : 'Milan Mela', (gathering) of the noted poets and literary personalities of both Bangla (Bangladesh and West Bengal) was held amid huge festivity and celebrations in the city Tuesday.

Teesta Nondini Shahittya Pathak Chakra (TNSPC), a literary organisation, arranged the gathering at Rangpur Town Hall auditorium to bring the people of both Bangla closer by further cementing the common and rich cultural bondages.
Rangpur Divisional Commissioner Jashim Uddin Ahmed formally launched the gathering by releasing balloons and attended the occasion as the chief guest with president of literary organisation `Abhijatrik' Adv MA Basher Tipu in the chair.
Additional Divisional Commissioner (Revenue) Narayan Chandra Barma, Rangpur Mayor AKM Abdur Rouf Manik, president of TNSPC Syed Ahmad Ali Aziz, its General Secretary Sultana Rizia and Humanities Faculty Dean of Begum Rokeya University Prof Dr Sarifa Salwa Dina attended as the special guests.
Later, warm receptions were accorded to renowned Indian poets and literary personalities Barun Chakraborty, Hrita Bose, Shikha Das Gupta, Dr Geeta Saha, Dilip Mukherjee and Jhimly Chakraborty Trina, Sujata Paul and Tarok Nath on the occasion. Besides, receptions were also accorded to Bangladeshi poetsSaroj Deb and Ferdousi Rahman Beauty in the gathering that was moderated by noted literary personality Mahmudun Nabi Bakul.
A colourful cultural function was arranged to end the daylong festive programmes enjoyed by the poets, literary and cultural personalities of the city and audience of all ages in the jam- packed auditorium.

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ULFA weapon haul: Chittagong Court slams slow pace of probe

Anisur Rahman, Dhaka, 22 February : A Bangladeshi court hearing the 2004 weapon haul case involving 10 truckloads of arms allegedly destined for ULFA hideouts in India's northeast has rejected a prosecution plea for more time to probe the matter and slammed investigators for not being able to finish their job so far.

Metropolitan Session Judge AKM Shamsul Islam in southeastern port city of Chittagong blasted the case's investigation officers, questioning their competence as the prosecution sought more time for the 12th time to complete the "further investigation."
A visibly angry Islam yesterday rejected the plea and immediately summoned the case's chief investigation officer Muniruzzaman of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to the dock to explain the development of the probe process.

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'West Bengal Cold Storage Asso' threaten to shut down
Kolkata, 22 February : Demanding an increase in rent due to escalating electricity and fuel bills, the West Bengal Cold Storage Association (WBCSA) Tuesday threatened to stop operations in 470 cold storages in the state if this was not done.
‘Farmers will start harvesting potato from the first week of March and it has to be kept in cold storage immediately after the harvest. But we will have to stop operation if the government does notincrease rent,’ WBCSA president Swapan Mondal told media persons here.

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SC reserves order on re-investigation in Rizwanur murder

PTI, New Delhi, 22 February : Indian Supreme Court today reservedits verdict on appeals challenging the Calcutta High Court''s order for a fresh CBI into the death of computer graphicsteacher Rizwanur Rahman, who had married the daughter ofindustrialist Ashok Todi, after registering a murder case.

A bench comprising justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhanconcluded the hearing on cross appeals filed by Ashok Todi,whose daughter Priyanka had married Rizwanur, mother of thedeceased Kishwar Jahan and CBI challenging the May 18 order ofthe High Court.
Rizwanur was found dead near railway tracks in Dumdumarea of Kolkata on 21 September, 2007, just a month after hismarriage on 18 August, 2007, to Priyanka. Ashok Todi, owner of the Rs. 200-crore Lux Cozi hosierybrand, his brother Pradip and brother in-law Anil Sarogi areaccused in the case along with senior IPS officers thenserving in the Kolkata Police.
Challenging the High Court order, Solicitor GeneralGopal Subramanium, appearing for CBI, submitted a fresh probewas not required in the case as the agency had earlierconducted the detailed probe and arrived at the conclusionthat an offence was made out for abatement of suicide againstAshok Todi and his relatives. Todi pleaded he was ready to face the trial on the basisof findings of CBI and there was no need to conduct a freshinvestigation in the three-and-half-year-old murder case.
A division bench of the High Court had ordered freshinvestigation after setting aside the CBI investigationearlier ordered by a single bench and directed the agency tocomplete the probe within four months.

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PM calls to spreading spirit of Ekushey among young generation

UNB, Dhaka, 20 February : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged all to spread the spirit of `Amar Ekushey’ (21st February) among the young generation to build a happy and prosperous technology-based Bangladesh.
She gave the call from a function, marking the distribution of Ekushey Padak for 2011, at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium on Sunday. Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Abul Kalam Azad presided over the function, organised by the Cultural Affairs Ministry.

Thirteen eminent personalities have been awarded Ekushey Padak this year in recognition of their outstanding contributions in different spheres of national life. The recipients are Shawkat Ali (posthumous-language movement), Mosharef Uddin Ahmed (posthumous-language movement), Ustad Akther Sadmani (posthumous-arts), Abdul Haq Chowdhury (posthumous-research), Amanul Haq (language movement).
They are joined by Baul Shah Abdul Karim (posthumous-arts), Jyotsna Biswas (arts), Nurjahan Begum (journalism) Al Haj Md Abul Hashem (social service), Md Hares Uddin Polan Sarker (social service), Mohammed Delwar Hossain (social service), Shahid Qadri (language and literature), and Abdul Haq (language and literature). Besides the citation, each recipient got Tk 100,000 and a gold-medal weighing three tolas.
She expressed the hope that by 2021, the silver jubilee year of independence, it would be possible to establish a happy, prosperous, non-communal and peaceful 'Sonar Bangla' (golden Bengal), which was the dream of Bangbandhu. န Photos : PMO and File

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Amar Ekushey, International Mother Language Day Monday
Dhaka, 20 February : The nation Bangladesh pays homage to the martyrs of the historic Language Movement of 1952 with the clock striking one minute past midnight Monday to mark `Amar Ekushey’, the Language Martyrs Day and International Mother Language Day.
People, walking barefoot to the Shaheed Minars with wreaths and flowers singing ‘Amar bhaiyer rokte rangano Ekushey February’, will pay their deep respect to the heroes of the Language Movement, who sacrificed their lives for the recognition of Bangla as one of the State languages in erstwhile Pakistan.

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Trinamool Congress chief Mamata reaches out to Congress

IANS, Kolkata, 20 February : Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Sunday appealed to the Congress to forge a ‘grand alliance’ with her party to dislodge the ruling Left Front in the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal.
‘We want a grand alliance of common people. Here we have SUCI (Socialist Unity Centre of India) leaders with us at this programme. We want them to forge an alliance with us for the assembly polls as they had done in the last 2009 Lok Sabha polls,’ Banerjee said while addressing a public rally here.
The Trinamool and the Congress, along with the SUCI, had joined hands before the 2009 Lok Sabha polls and decimated the Left Front that has been ruling the state since 1977. The alliance had bagged 26 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats.
‘We are in favour of alliance. We want a grand alliance of people. I am inviting the Congress to forge an alliance with us. I am appealing to the Congress to form the alliance. We want an alliance of Trinamool, Congress and SUCI in the coming polls,’ said Banerjee.
Last year, the Trinamool-Congress alliance broke down after the parties failed to reach an agreement regarding seat sharing in the civic elections. The state Congress leadership had then accused the Trinamool of denying them the respect due to an alliance partner. န File Photo : AFP

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Professor Amartya Sen to receive Rabindra Smriti Puraskar

Kolkata, 20 February : Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen has been selected as a recipient of special Rabindra smriti puraskar (Rabindra memorial award) by a state-level committee instituted by West Bengal government on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Rabindranath Tagore.
An award of Rs One lakh was introduced by the committee as Rabindra smriti puraskar.
Sen would be would be given the award by the state government at a function here on Sunday.

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Shirin elected chair of Commonwealth Gender Plan of AMG
BSS, Dhaka, 20 February : Bangladesh State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Dr Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury elected chair of the 'Commonwealth Gender Plan of Action Monitoring Group' (CGPAMG) for the second consecutive year.
She chaired the 8th session of the CGPAMG in New York on Saturday, said a message received here today. Dr Chaudhury delivered a statement at the meeting on the progress made so far.

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Bangladesh liberation war film Meherjaan open old wounds

AFP, Dhaka, 20 February : A Bangladeshi film about a love affair set in the country's bloody 1971 liberation struggle against Pakistan has stirred up heated debate, prompting the distributor to pull it from cinemas.
The film about a love affair set in the country's bloody 1971 liberation struggle against Pakistan has stirred up heated debate in Dhaka, prompting the distributor to pull it from cinemas. Meherjaan: A Story of War and Love, which features some of south Asia's biggest stars including Victor Banerjee and Jaya Bachchan, wife of Indian movie legend Amitabh Bachchan, was released last month to critical acclaim.
But the plot, charting a romance between a local girl and a Pakistani soldier, has hit a raw nerve in Bangladesh, where a new war crimes tribunal has just begun prosecuting suspected collaborators.
"I fought in the liberation war but after we released this film, my fellow freedom fighters called me a collaborator and traitor," the owner of the film's distribution company, Habibur Rahman Khan, told AFP. "We've stopped distributing the film because critics said it degraded the sufferings of the Bangladeshi women raped in the war," he said.
In the film, Meherjaan, a Bangladeshi girl, falls in love with a Pakistani soldier who gets court-martialled for refusing to participate in war crimes and atrocities. A barrage of criticism in the Bangladeshi press and on the Internet said the film's romantic storyline undermined the suffering of the estimated 200,000 Bangladeshi women raped by Pakistani forces during the war.
Bangladesh's government says three million people were killed by the occupying forces and local collaborators in the nine-month struggle that saw then-East Pakistan emerge as an independent Bangladesh on 6 December, 1971.
"Meherjaan has insulted the spirit of the country's liberation war and our history," said four writers, including a woman who was raped by Pakistani troops, in a joint article in the Prothom Alo newspaper. "Under the guise of a story about love and war, it's a film about insult and deception," they wrote.

Pakistani war crimes are a sensitive issue in Bangladesh, but public feeling has intensified since the government set up the International War Crimes Tribunal in March last year. The tribunal aims to try the local collaborators for crimes including genocide, arson, rape and looting. It has arrested five people, all of whom are also leading opposition figures, in the last six months.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has dismissed the trial as politically motivated. The government has not yet said whether the court will pursue cases against individual Pakistani soldiers, but private campaigners have provided the court with a list of 195 army officers accused of atrocities.
The film, because of its positive depiction of a Pakistani soldier, has been "unofficially banned", Farzana Boby, an assistant director on the film, told AFP. "It is unfortunate. All we have tried to do is to make a good film. It has been pulled even though it was drawing bigger crowds than any other major hit film in Bangladesh," she said.
The crew and directors have also become targets of hate-campaigns by people who cannot tolerate a "different narrative of our liberation war," she said. "They are angry because our story does not follow the dominant theme of the struggle. To them, all Pakistanis were butchers during the war. There cannot be a good-natured Pakistani soldier who rebels against the army," she said.
Some industry professionals have lamented the angry reception the film has been given. "It's unfortunate there is such a huge controversy over such a good film. We live in a democratic country and everyone has the right to tell their own story," film director Chasi Nazrul Islam told AFP. "We get stronger if we listen to all voices." န Photos : AFP

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India beat Bangladesh in opening match of "Cricket World Cup"

Mirpur, 19 February : India's Virender Sehwag unleashed a stunning display of strokeplay to smash a blistering 175 as India launched their cricket World Cup campaign with an emphatic 87-run victory over Bangladesh.

Sehwag, who defied a hit on the knee, was in a murderous mood as he combined with young Virat Kohli (100 not out) to propel India to an imposing 370 for four before the visitors restricted the minnows 283 for nine to avenge the shock defeat in the last edition.
Although the Bangladeshi batsmen made a valiant effort, the target proved much too stiff and ultimately lost their way as the asking rate kept mounting. Tamim Iqbal (70) and and skipper Shakib Al Hasan (55) were the notable contributors for Bangladesh.
For India Munaf Patel was the star performer with the ball with figures of four for 48 while Zaheer Khan also chipped in with two wickets for 41 runs. န Photos : AFP CLICK FOR MORE PHOTOS

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I only bother about playing and scoring runs : Viru Sehwag
PTI, Dhaka, 19 February : Man of the match Virender Sehwag termed India's 87-run win over Bangladesh as "revenge" having lost to the same opponents four years ago in Port-of-Spain during last World Cup.
At the post-match conference, when questioned whether it was a revenge game, Sehwag made a curt reply, "I think so." A scribe asked about whether he was under any pressure to perform, he gave a typical Sehwag-like reply, "No pressure for me as I only bother about playing and scoring runs."

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Fire breaks out in multi-storey building in central Kolkata
Kolkata, 19 February : A major fire broke out on the third floor of a 4-storey building in the city's central Colootola area, forcing firemen to evacuate residents.
However, there is no report of any casualty, police said. The fire broke out at around 6.30 pm inside a medical equipment godown in the building. Sixteen fire tenders rushed to the spot and it took about four hours to bring the blaze under control, police said. Senior police officers, including the Kolkata Police Commissioner G M Chakraborty, also rushed to the spot.

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Buddhadeb slams GJM for creating 'anarchy' in WB's hills

Jalpaiguri, Kolkata, 19 February : West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Saturday implicitly attacked the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) for "creating anarchy and violence" in Darjeeling hills and reiterated that discussions are the only way to solve the problem.
"They (GJM) are trying to create problem both in the hills and in the Dooars area. We will not tolerate this anarchy. Everyday, they are creating problems in the hills," said Bhattacharjee, while addressing a gathering in Malbazar area of Jalpaiguri district.
Darjeeling, in the last few months, has witnessed a series of incidents of protest and violence as the leadership of GJM has been constantly pressurising the central and the state government to accept its demand of Gorkhaland. "Discussions are the only way to solve the problem. If everyday there is a demand to divide West Bengal, we cannot accept it. We will never allow division of Bengal. "For so many years we have all stayed together in harmony. Today and in the future also we will stay together with harmony," added Bhattacharjee. န Photo : Aritro Roy

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3 NDFB (anti-talk) faction militants killed in an encounter
PTI, Goalpara, 19 February : Three NDFB (anti-talk) faction insurgents were killed in an encounter with a joint team of army and police personnel in Goalpara district of Assam in the wee hours today, police said.
During patrolling, the security personnel heard the sound of footsteps from the inside of Bordol reserve forest under Lakhipur police station, defence sources said.

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Andaman and Nicobar Islands's first "Film Festival" begins

PTI, Port Blair, 19 February : The first ever film festival of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Indian Panorama, has begun here with the screening of short film 'Three of us' directed by Umesh Kulkarni.
Altogether 14 films, including documentaries, would be screened in the three-day event which was inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar, Lt Gen (Retd) Bhopinder Singh last evening.
"The film festival would be organized every year coinciding with the Island Tourism Festival," Singh said.
He said that eminent film personalities should choose these islands as their shooting destination and assured them full support of the administration.
The film festival would give good exposure to the people of the Islands and encourage the younger generation to look for a career in cinema, he said. န Photo : Andaman Sheekha

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Maoists gun down CPI-M worker in West Midnapore district
Jhargram, 19 February : Maoists gunned down a CPI(M) worker and left the body on the road while joint forces seized a huge cache of arms from a house here in West Midnapore district today.
Additional SP Mukesh Kumar said the body of Bijon alias Babloo Mahato was found lying on the road to Goalmara village along with Maoist posters that claimed he was killed since he was a police informer and a 'harmad' (armed goon). The man was forcibly taken away from his home at nearby Patasimul village last evening. The bullet-ridden body was first sighted in the morning by locals, who intimated the police.

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Tripura govt sounds alert on bird flu
Agartala, 19 February : An alert has been sounded in Tripura after the outbreak of bird flu in a state-owned poultry at R K Nagar near here, officials today said.
"The Tripura government has sounded an alert in the state following outbreak of avian influenza in R K Nagar farm (about 6 km from here) and about 3,000 ducks and chicken were culled there yesterday," Principal Secretary of Animal Resource Development department Sriram Taranikant told reporters. He said a team of experts is in the state to oversee the process of culling and preventive measures being taken to contain its spread.
Taranikant said that as preventive measures poultry and egg markets within 10 km radius of the R K Nagar farm were closed, restrictions imposed on the movement of personnel working in the farm, strict surveillance was being maintained in the farm and adjacent areas and the entire area being sanitised.

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Former French World Cupper Dhorasoo attends workshop
Kolkata, 19 February : Former French world cup soccer star Vikash Dhorasoo on Saturday attended a workshop organised by Football Players Association (FPA) on Anti-Doping and Tax consulting as a special guest.
FPA President Bhaichung Bhutia inaugurated the workshop and dealt with issues such as doping and tax payment. Doctor Nisith Ranjan Chowdhury spoke on doping laws, player responsibilities and banned substances.

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Reliance’ BIG FM to be first Indian radio channel in Bhutan
Reliance Insider, 19 February : Entering into a strategic alliance with Bhutan’s High 92.7 FM radio channel, Reliance Broadcast Network’s radio arm 92.7 BIG FM has become the first-ever Indian radio station to enter Bhutan.
Boasting a 45 city network in India, BIG FM has now extended its reach to Siliguri town of West Bengal and Bhutan, company officials said on Friday.....Read Full Article at Reliance Insider

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8,500 police to guard vicinity of Shaheed Minar on 21st Feb

UNB, Dhaka, 19 February : Some 8,500 uniformed police will guard the vicinity of the Central Shaheed Minar on 21st February, the Shaheed Day, as the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner dismissed fear of any unpleasant incident on the occasion.
“We’ve drawn up our security plans analyzing all aspects of any threat although we do not apprehend any untoward incident,” DMP Commissioner Benazir Ahmed told a press briefing at his office on Saturday afternoon. He said there is no reason for the city dwellers to be worried while visiting the Central Shaheed Minar to pay their homage to the language martyrs as they have adequate security arrangements.
The Police Commissioner said no criminal could escape after committing crimes in the capital in the past and will not be able to do so in the future. He said they have detected all major criminal incidents that occurred in the month of January and arrested the criminals involved.
“We’ll make crime a difficult job,” he said. Benazir said it is the responsibility of all to maintain the sanctity of the Central Shaheed Minar and remain alert against any type of indiscipline.

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