Autonomy to city corporations suggested

International Business Forum of Bangladesh (IBFB) on Tuesday put forward a set of recommendations to improve the city governance to expedite overall economic development of the country, reports BSS
The recommendations include giving autonomy to the city corporations, increasing dignity of posts equivalent to ministers, revision of 12 and 13 sections of the City Corporation Act-2009 and giving the charge of traffic control to city corporations.
Besides, the Forum suggested increasing budgetary allocation for city corporations and boosting revenue earning, ensuring participation of private sector in beautification activities of city corporations and introduction of separate BCS cadre service for the local government.
Reading out the key findings of a study on the ‘City Governance and Private Sector Development,’ IBFB research director Dr ABM Mofizur Rahman said a large section of dwellers of the city corporations are still living under the poverty line although income of some people increased.
IBFB President Mahmudul Islam Chowdhury gave the welcome speech at Karwan bazar city hotel here, joined, among others, by IBFB Vice- President ATM Saidul Alam and executive director Brig Gen (retd) M Mofijur Rahman.
Dr Rahman identified plenty of problems for which city development activities are being hindered. They are haphazard placement of slum dwellers, unbearable traffic congestion, shortage of utilities, poor communication system and less access of city dwellers to city corporation services. He described city corporations as engines of the national economy and said city corporations must be given autonomy so that the engines are considered as good city governance.
The main purpose of the study was to demonstrate the importance of city governance, identify obstacles, find out strategy to improve civic amenities, he said.
He said the rate of urbanization process would reach 30 percent by end of the year and 40 percent by the next 10 years.
In the above circumstances, city corporations should be given autonomy so that it can perform better than ever, he said and added public-private joint initiatives and introduction of new technologies are a must to that end.
Mahmudul Islam, also a former lawmaker, said they have a plan to talk with the stakeholders at divisional level about the recommendations of the study and the study will formally be unveiled within August this year.

Flood situation may worsen

The flood situation is likely to deteriorate in northern and northeastern regions of the country amid forecasting of heavy to very heavy rainfall in most of the parts of the country in next 24 hours, reports BSS.
According to the latest weather forecasting, heavy to very heavy rainfall with gusty and squally wind is likely to occur at most places over Rajshahi, Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions and moderately heavy rainfall at places over Khulna and Barisal divisions.
The overall flood situation worsened in greater Rangpur and Dinajpur, Netrakona and adjoining areas in the Brahmaputra basin as the major rivers crossed their danger marks (DMs) at several points during the past 24 hours till this morning.
The situation sharply deteriorated following continuous rise in the water level of the major rivers due to huge onrush of hilly waters from the upper catchments and heavy rainfalls in the upstream during the period, official said.
The major rivers crossed their respective DMs at Chilmari in Kurigram, Fulchhari in Gaibandha, Sariakandi in Bogra and Bahadurabad points and they were just touching the DM at some other points this morning inundating vast low-lying areas.
In Dinajpur district, all major rivers including Purnabhava, Atrai, Isamoti, Chhoto Jamuna and Korotoa were just touching the DM at different points against the backdrop of record rainfalls in last three days as well as huge onrush of hilly waters from the upper catchments.
There is an apprehension of flood-like situation in different low-lying areas in Netrokona as the three major rivers of the district—Someswari, Kongsho and Dhono—marked continuous rise at all points and already crossed their respective danger marks.
The Someswari is now flowing 61 cm above the DM at Durgapur upazila Bazar point, the Kongsho 42 cm above DM at Jaira point and the Dhono 31 cm above DM at Khaliajury town point, WDB source said.
About 70,000 people of 150 low-lying char villages in seven upazilas in Kurigram, three upazilas of Gaibandha and Sariakandi upazila of Bogra and some other riverside upazilas of Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari and Sirajganj have been partially marooned so far.
Besides, about 150 families in Islampur upazila in Jamalpur district became homeless by the floodwater on Tuesday, UNO of the upazila said.

Figure of tobacco workers exaggerated

A research group has claimed the number of workers in the country’s tobacco sector is highly inflated and far below the figure, projected by certain quarters, reports BSS.
“The number of direct and indirect workers in the tobacco sector will highly be two lakh,” Mahfuz Kabir, a research associate of the think-tank Unnayan Shamunnay, said on Tuesday.
Kabir carried out the research with his colleague Suzana Karim, which looks into various aspects of tobacco workers including their meager wages, high health risks and the options of rehabilitation to safer work.
Some owners of tobacco factories claim around 25 lakh workers will lose their livelihood if the government imposes high tax on tobacco, which will eventually close the factories.
“The owners are claiming the high number only to give the wrong impression that a huge number of people will be jobless if their industries are closed down for any reason,” Chinmoy Mutsuddi, the project coordinator of Unnayan Shamunnay, said.
Referring to the findings of their research, he said the tobacco factories should be closed down in phases for the sake of public health and protecting crop land from long-term damage for tobacco farming.

Govt keen to eradicate poverty

Planning Minister Air Vice marshal (Retd) AK Khandaker on Tuesday told the Jatiya Sangsad that the main objective of the present government is to improve the living of the people through eradicating poverty and the new budget for 2010-11 was designed with a view to fulfilling that target, reports BSS.
The government at first had to formulate a Perspective Plan in the light of its election manifesto with focus on the charter of change by 2021 for upgrading Bangladesh to a middle income country and with this in view the development budget for FY11 was prepared, he said.
Taking part in the budget discussion, Khandaker said the annual development programme (ADP) was prepared to create employment for quick eradication of poverty, attaining food security, ensuring maternal health, sanitation, safe water, quality education, health, curbing corruption, generating power and establishing good governance in the country.
Mentioning that the present government had to assume power on the eve of the global economic meltdown, he said amid great concern the economy last year attained 5.7 percent growth under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister and Finance Minister.
“This budget is a well-devised fiscal document for facing challenges, and it is not an ambitious one rather a realistic document,” he said while describing all salient features of the 2010-2011 budget.
Deficit or surplus is not the main question, rather if we could raise revenue through utilizing our merits and hard work, we would be able to reduce deficit. If the proposed Public- Private Partnership (PPP) could be implemented, then deficit would not only be reduced, it might turn into a surplus budget, he expected.
Mentioning various programmes of the government for social safety net, the Planning Minister said the amount of allowances for elderly people, disabled people, widow and distressed women was increased, guidelines were given for eliminating begging, raising food security and making employment for monga-prone poor and char people.

All highways to be upgraded to four lanes: Minister

As part of the government’s plans for development of road communication network, all national highways will be upgraded to four lanes, Communication Minister Syed Abul Hossain told the House on Tuesday, reports BSS.
“The government has undertaken effective measures for their implementation in developing the road communication network across the country,” he said while replying to a question from independent lawmaker Md Fazlul Azim.
He said contractors have already been appointed for upgrading the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway to four lanes while a proposal for turning Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway into four lanes has been approved by the ECNEC.
After assumption of power, he said, the present government okayed 43 new projects for development of communication network and an estimated cost of the projects has been earmarked as Taka, 5,700 crore.
The communication minister said the present government has implemented a number of projects in the last 18 months for the development of communication system.
The projects, he said, included construction of Akhaura town bypass road, Shekhpura Bridge on the Pacchar-Shibchar Highway, Sultana Kamal Bridge on the Shitalakkhya Bridge, Shaheed Buddhijibi Bridge at Basila in Dhaka, Shaheed Ahsanullah Master Flyover at Tongi, upgrading Savar-Nabinagar Road under Dhaka- Aricha highway to four lanes.
Abul Hossain also said a number of projects are under implementation. Those are second Shitalakhya Bridge, upgrading Dhaka-Narayanganj Highway to four lanes, construction of third Karnaphuli Bridge, dapdapia Bridge on Barisal-Patuakhali Road, Teesta Bridge, bridge on Baleswar river, Bhogai Bridge on the Bhogai river and Bogra 2nd bypass road, Darogakhola Bridge on Barisal-Bhola-Lakkhipur road, Taltola Bridge on Barisal- Shayestabad Road, bridge on the Surma river in Sunamganj and Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf-Marine Drive Road (2nd phase).
Responding to another question from BNP lawmaker Joynal Abdin, the communication minister said the government has a plan to procure meter gauge diesel and electric locomotives for Bangladesh Railway.
Under ‘The Project for Procurement of 46 Locomotives’, he said, 37 locomotives have already been procured and the rest of the locomotives will be available by 2011.
The communication minister also said a tender has been floated to procure 11 locomotives with the financial assistance of JICA and the locomotives will be supplied by 2012.
Answering to another question from ruling party lawmaker Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury, he also said that three pairs of inter-city trains and two pairs of inter-city trains are now plying on Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Chittagong routes.
But, he said, the government has undertaken a plan to increase the number of inter-city trains on both routes.

DHAKA NOTES