Demo against Tipai before UN, Jan 10

The International Farakka Committee, Inc. New York, isorganising a human-chain and demonstration in front of the United Nationsbuildings in New York on 10 January at 11:30 am, chairman of IFC Atiqur Rahmanhas informed. Representatives of different organizations of expatriateBangladeshis in the US at a meeting at Club Sanam of New York Town Hall on 02January last decided that all expatriate Bangladeshis irrespective of party orpolitical affiliations will unitedly make the programme a success.

The meeting urged IFC units in Bangladesh and othercountries and all organisations of Bangladeshis to hold similar programmes onthe day to press the demand to stop the construction of the Tipaimukh Dam onBarak river at the upstream of the Meghna, Bangladesh's third largest riverthreatening it with the same fate of the Ganges in Bangladesh.

The meeting, held with Atiqur Rahman Salu, was moderated byIFC secretary general, Syed Tipu Sultan, was conducted by IFC adviser Dr. ShahAlam, and assisted by IFC organising secretary Ataur Rahman Ata. It wasattended by expatriate Bangladeshi poets, litterateurs, journalists, farmacistsand representatives of different professional groups, social and culturalorganisations. 

The meetings called upon IFC units in Bangladesh and abroadand other organizations of expatriate Bangladeshis to organise human chains,demonstrations, discussion meetings or similar programmes at all towns on thesame day to press the demand.

Among others the meeting was addressed by president of theBangladesh society of New York, MA Aziz, its former general secretary FakhrulAlam, executive of ATN Bangla Dr. Mujibur Rahman Majumder, IFC adviser SabbirAhmed Laskar, president of Jakiganj Samity Badrunnahar Khan Mitha, president ofGreater Jalalabad Samity Alauddin, social worker Osman Chowdhury, organizingsecretary of Bangladesh Society Lutfur Rahman Latu, leader of Barisal BiBhagiyaSamity Engineer Fazlur Rahman, Voice of Bangladesh and BEN worker Abdur RahimHawladar, leader of Bangladesh Society Col (retd) Akbar Hossain, formerprincipal of Santos Islamic University College Afsar Uddin, and president ofthe Sylhet Metropolis Committee MA Chowdhury.

Eminent journalist and columnist Moinuddin Naser, FinancialExpress representative Rezaul Karim, social worker Mrs Kity Khondokar, eminentartist Syed Abdul Baten, Md Giasuddin and representatives of differentorganizations.

They decided to hold an Environment conference in Dhaka inJuly next. The meeting was told that over 30,000 signatures have so far beenput to the campaign against the Tipai Dam to be submitted to the UN and worldleaders. IFC leaders have urged all Bangladesh to sign the campaign at site:www.change.org/petitions/united-nations-Tipaimukh-dam-must-be-stopped.

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TIPAIMUKH DAM : Dhaka pressing Delhi for jt study

Water resources minister Ramesh Chandra Sen, on Wednesday, said Dhaka had been pressing New Delhi for conducting a joint study to assess the impact of the Tipaimukh dam project on the river Barak in Manipur. 

Besides, Dhaka has requested New Delhi to set a date for a meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) to discuss the issue, he added.

“As a lower riparian country, Bangladesh has a right to know everything from India, before the latter takes up any project in the upstream of any common river. We cannot allow India to construct anything that may prove harmful to Bangladesh,” he observed.

Sen iterated that if India tried to construct the Tipaimukh dam, Bangladesh would lodge a complaint with the International Court.

“India is yet to give its reply on conducting a joint survey. Also, it has not yet sent the schedule for the JRC meeting. But we remain optimistic about holding the JRC meeting in Dhaka anytime this year,” the minister told The Independent.

For long, several communities in Manipur in north-east India and Bangladesh have expressed concerns over the proposed Tipaimukh dam.

The project has sparked controversy in the two countries, as India took up this project without consulting or sharing of information with Bangladesh and a number of indigenous communities in north-eastern India.

The project was first proposed by an Indian state-owned utility service, North East Electric Power Corp Ltd, to prevent floods. Later, the plan was modified to a hydroelectricity project that would generate 1500 MW of power, to be sold mostly outside the region.

According to Sinlung Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Organization (SIPHRO) of India, the project paid no heed to the indigenous people of Manipur and the recommendations made by World Commission on Dams.

On October 22, 2011, the state government of Manipur signed an agreement with two Indian companies to construct the Tipaimukh dam, without providing any prior information to Bangladesh.

It came barely seven weeks after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart, Dr Manmohan Singh, signed a framework agreement on cooperation for development between India and Bangladesh in Dhaka on September 6 last year.

The agreement by the Manipur government and the other parties, which cleared construction of the long-proposed dam, is contrary to joint declarations made by Bangladesh and India in 2010 and 2011, where Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh assured Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that New Delhi would not take any step in this regard that might harm Bangladesh.

Demonstrations in Manipur, Assam and Bangladesh started on November 17, after it was reported that a tripartite agreement had been signed between NHPC Ltd, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Ltd and the Manipur government to set up a joint venture company that would implement the 1,500 MW project.

Under the project agreement, which was inked on October 22, 2011, the Manipur government would hold a five cent stake in the venture, with 69 per cent and 26 per cent each for NHPC and SJVN, respectively. On November 21, 2011, the Bangladeshi foreign ministry urged New Delhi to share with Dhaka all information about the Manipur agreement, underscoring Bangladesh’s right as a co-riparian country. It also stressed that India must consult in advance with Bangladesh before the former took such initiatives on any common rivers.

According to experts, the Indian government has never officially informed Bangladesh about the dam’s construction. The dam would virtually dry up the rivers Surma and the Kushiara, two tributaries of the river Barak, in Bangladesh. They added that this would choke the north-eastern region of the country.

They also predicted that the dam would disrupt the seasonal rhythm of the river and hamper agriculture, irrigation, fisheries, drinking water supply, navigation and ground water levels.

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Rape by BCL Men : BCL dissolves Satkhira unit

Bangladesh Chhatra League yesterday dissolved its Satkhira district unit after learning the involvement of its president and general secretary in the rape of a girl on Wednesday night.

The central committee of the pro-government student body also urged police to take stern action against the duo -- president Sheikh Jewel Hasan and general secretary Nazmul Haque.

“Police should not hesitate to take action against the culprits as they have destroyed the image of our organisation,” HM Badiuzzaman Sohag, president of Chhatra League's central unit, told The Daily Star last night.

They would not find shelter in the party, he added. 

The 19-year-old victim, a student at Azam Khan Commerce College in Khulna, filed a case with Satkhira Sadar Police Station yesterday morning under Women and Children Repression Preventive Act against four people -- Jewel, Nazmul, Sumon and another unidentified youth.

Locals said Satkhira unit BCL leaders hired the girl, a dance artiste, to perform at a cultural function organised by them on the occasion of the 64th founding anniversary of the student body on Wednesday evening. 

The victim, who resides in Khulna, came to Satkhira with her husband to attend the function. 

But, soon after the couple started for Khulna at the end of the function around 8:30pm, the accused snatched the victim from her husband on the way, took her to a house in Katia of the town and violated her, the victim said in the case.

They threatened to kill her husband when he tried to save her, she added. 

The husband then informed police who rescued the girl from the house around 12 midnight. Police, however, failed to capture the culprits.

Officer-in-Charge of Sadar Police Station Aslam Khan confirmed the incident and said they are trying to arrest the accused.

District AL General Secretary Nazrul Islam urged local administration to take strict measures against the culprits as they tarnished the party's image.

Local AL leaders and activists have expressed their frustration with the BCL men for their involvement in various criminal and anti-social activities in the district.

Meanwhile, condemning the incident a section of the BCL brought out a procession in the evening. They demanded immediate arrest and punishment of the culprits, who are known as extortionists in the area. 

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BREAKING NEWS : Sakku wins Comilla polls

Sammilito Nagorik Committee-backed mayoral candidate Monirul Hoque Sakku won the Comilla City Corporation election on Thursday, reports ATN Bangla. 

According to unofficial results, Sakku bagged 65,740 votes while his nearest contestant ruling Awami League supported Afzal Khan 35,429 in all 65 centres of CCC, the private television channel added.

Earlier, the maiden election to the CCC ended peacefully as soon as the clock struck 4. The polling began at 8:00 in the morning with voters casting their votes in the electronic voting machines.

This is the first time in the country that voters in all centres used the voting machines.

During the voting, the two front-running mayoral candidates expressed their satisfaction over the peaceful environment of the election.

After casting his vote at Hocchamia High School polling centre around 9:30am, Sakku expressed his satisfaction over the election saying, "The voting is going on peacefully and if the peaceful trend continues till the end, I will accept the people's mandate whatever it may be."

Meanwhile, Afzal exercised his franchise at Comilla Modern High School around 9:45am and left the centre showing a V-sign.

He also expressed his satisfaction over the peaceful atmosphere that was prevailing at the voting centres.
"The voting is going on tranquilly and the people are not facing difficulties while casting their votes using the EVM system," Afzal said.

A contented Afzal also said he will accept whatever the result may be.

BACKGROUND

Unprecedented security measures were taken with deployment of over 3,000 lawmen and they were seen patrolling in and around the city to ensure law and order during the polling time. They will be on election duty till tomorrow.

Election officials earlier said 1,200 Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) personnel, more than 2,000 police members, 150 members of Bangladesh Border Guard and Armed Police Battalion, 27 executive magistrates and nine judicial magistrates will work throughout the day to ensure free and fair voting.

A total of 1, 69,273 voters, including 86,074 females, are on the voters' roll to elect their first-ever city mayor from among nine candidates and 36 ward councillors, including nine reserved female councillors' seats, from among 287 contestants.

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Samson H Chy no more

Samson H Chowdhury, a leading businessman of the country and chairman of renowned conglomerate Square Group, has died. He breathed his last at a hospital in Singapore Thursday at the age of 86, Maasranga Television reports.

A recognised entrepreneur, Chowdhury was undergoing treatment for old age complexities at the Singapore hospital. He died at 10:15am (Bangladesh time), the private satellite TV channel owned by the group said in a special bulletin. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock at the death of the veteran businessman and prayed for his departed soul. 

The Square Group and Maasranga TV, which is also owned by Square Group, have prayed for peace on Samson Chowdhury.

Born on February 25, 1926 in Ataikula area of Pabna, Chowdhury, son of a medical officer in an outdoor dispensary, started a small pharmacy there in 1952. He then ventured into a partnership pharmaceutical company with three of his friends in 1958. 

They named the company Square because, according to him, “it was started by four friends and also because it signifies accuracy and perfection meaning quality”. 

That small company of 1958 is now a publicly listed diversified group of companies employing over 28,000 people. The current yearly group turnover is $616 million, according to information available on the group’s website.

With his innovative ideas, tireless efforts and dedication, Samson H Chowdhury led Square from the front to become the leading manufacturer of quality medicine, toiletries, health products, textiles, agro vet products and information technology.

Former president of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chowdhury served as the chairman, of Transparency International Bangladesh during 2004-2007 besides holding a number of key positions local and international business bodies. 

The American Chamber in Bangladesh honoured him as the ‘Business Executive of the Year’ in 1998. Samson Chowdhury received the ‘Best Entrepreneur of the Country for the year 2000-2001’ awarded by The Daily Star and DHL Worldwide Express.

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