Just a day after Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee ended a five-hour official visit to Dhaka, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dipu Moni has said that Bangladesh is strengthening its road and railway connectivity to transform itself into a regional hub to give access of its transit facilities to India.

“I will not give you any deadline but the formalities (of proposed transit routes to Nepal and Bhutan through India) is expected to be completed by this year,” Moni said at a press briefing. “When we are thinking about transforming Bangladesh as a regional hub and when the entire region will be brought under the connectivity, India will have access to its northeastern states,” she said, adding “unfettered movement of people and goods will be taking place.”

Moni further said that the whole region would be benefited economically and added that Bangladesh could not remain isolated for long.

Rejecting opposition criticism regarding India??s $1-billion loan to Bangladesh, Moni said that Bangladeshi politicians must come out of the anti-India mindset that road and port development would only help India.

She claimed that there would only be a win-win situation once the connectivity would be in place. Moni added that the two nations would exchange letters instead of protocols to allow trucks from Nepal to enter Bangladesh??s Banglabandha land port and Bangladeshi trucks to Nepal through India.

The move will revive strained relations between the two South Asian neighbors, which have been at odds since 2001 when the Islamic-allied BNP was ruling Bangladesh.

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Bangladesh has banned beating in schools after an upsurge of “inhuman” treatment of pupils by teachers, an official said Tuesday.

“Corporal punishment hinders the progress of a student,” education secretary Syed Ataur Rahman said in a government order issued late Monday to schools nationwide.

“Teachers should help the physical and mental growth of the students to flourish — they should be grooming them so they grow up as worthy citizens of the country,” the order said.

Rahman told AFP that the ban on beating and caning was because the government had “seen that these punishments can be inhuman”.

“Some parents have even attacked teachers for beating their child,” he said, adding that corporal punishment could also cause truancy, as pupils avoided classes at which they had been beaten.

The move comes after the country’s High Court urged the government to tackle growing cases of excessive corporal punishment in schools.

In March, eight Bangladeshi children received treatment in hospital after being caned by their headmistress for forgetting to bring coloured pencils to school.

Bangladesh has more than 30 million students in schools and madrassas — and nine out of 10 are physically beaten in school, according to a report released last October by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The report, which surveyed more than 3,800 children aged between nine and 18, found that the most common form of physical punishment was with a cane or stick.

It also found that seven out of ten children were physically punished at home.

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India has agreed to loan Bangladesh 1 billion dollars, the largest amount India has ever loaned another country, officials said Saturday.

“This one-billion-dollar line of credit is the largest ever given by India to any country,” Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on arriving in Dhaka on Saturday for a four-hour official trip.

He added that he was there to witness the signing ceremony of the agreement, the outcome of a decision reached between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina Wazed in January.

The money is to be used to finance infrastructure projects, mainly to upgrade communications between India and Bangladesh, including improvement of railway networks, construction of roads and bridges and building power plants.

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party of former prime minister Khaleda Zia had asked the government to refrain from signing the loan deal, charging that it would only benefit Indian interests.

But Mukherjee said Saturday that the terms of the loan were extremely favourable to Bangladesh.

“India stands committed to the development and prosperity of Bangladesh and its friendly people,” he added.

The Indian minister is scheduled to meet Sheikh Hasina, Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith and Foreign Minister Dipu Moni.

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We can turn Bangladesh into a happy and prosperous country within few years, if we work with patriotism, honesty and sincerity.-President Zillur Rahman

Bangladesh Should reform the Goverment organizations Work out style and goverment have to open More tranning session for Goverment organizations to work out a better Management .the initiative of Digital Bangladesh by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina??is appecited on basis of ?better management, better reporting —gurumia

The main objective of the War of Liberation was to build a happy, prosperous and dignified country. We achieved independence of our country through sacrifices of many lives four decades ago under the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

But, he regretted, this goal of the war is yet to be achieved even after four decades.

The main aim of the government is to improve the living standard of the people.

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Power is the most thrusty infrustucture seek of Bangladesh, A good report on power prospect shows the most sustainable way of power geration for Bangladesh. Bangladesh can meet about 80 percent of her power demand using renewable energy including solar and wind power systems.
Dr Sajed Kamal, a scientist and teacher of Brandeis University, Massachusetts in USA, made the opinion at a seminar titled ??Solar Energy Resource: Bangladesh??s Un-utilizing Energy Storehouse?? at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in the city on Friday.
In his speech, Dr Sajed Kamal said: ??Germany and the Latin American countries including Cuba are now planning to generate 80 percent of their power by setting up renewable energy systems and we should consider these methods to address our ongoing power crisis??
As keynote speaker, Dr Sajed Kamal in a power point presentation displayed the technology used by the western countries for generating power from renewable sources.
He said: ??The entire world is now giving attention to generate power from renewable sources. It is high time for us to make immediate plans to generate power from renewable sources.??
He added: ??Bangladesh has a great potential. We??ve huge solar and wind energy, but we never consider using these sources of energy to address our power demand.??
Mentioning the reason for global warming, Dr Sajed Kamal said the global temperature has been rising gradually due to the use fossil energy all over the world.
He suggested using renewable energy including solar and wind power to permanently address the country??s power crisis and also contribute to reducing global warming.
The expatriate scientist urged the government to take a long-term plan to set up renewable energy system in the country.Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan (BAPA) organized the seminar, which was chaired by former adviser of the caretaker government and BAPA vice-president Advocate Sultana Kamal.
Prof Dr Saiful Haque and Prof MM Akash of Dhaka University, and Engr Dr Khursedul Islam also spoke at the seminar
Sources :

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Hartal : Strike !!!Virus of politics: Many discussions held by the political parties of Bangladesh. On white meeting they never support Strike, they even not get the new way rather than such a destructive and harmful event like Hartal (strike). To establish political demand if that is really the demand of maximum public, must can roar against Government. I am sorry to say that i never support such a political event which directly makes harm to public, what gain? I never clear. Hope many like me are not clear.

Time changed. we were under different political culture ,so at the beginning of independence -?we also needed Hartal as political demand.Nowfrom my core observation. AFTER39 years THE NATION LOOKING FOR THE ALTERNATIVE AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO DIFFER WITH GOVERMENT. NO MORE HARTAL IS EXPECTED.

HARTAL IS A STRAIGHT VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS !!!! –guru
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today reiterated her call upon the main opposition BNP to join the parliament and speak for the people instead of resorting to hartal that is highly detrimental to both democracy and development leading to raising people’s sufferings. There was no any issue to enforce hartal in the country, rather the issue for which you have resorted to hartal was created by you during your tenure, she said while taking part in a general discussion on the proposed national budget for 2010-2011 fiscal.

Blaming BNP for calling hartal (general strike) in a bid to increase miseries for the people, she said the present government showed utmost restraint after wining the last general election as it did not take any revenge for the BNP-backed atrocities on the leaders and workers of Awami League after 2001 election.

“Even, we, the alliance (Mohajote) government, did not bring out victory procession soon after our landslide victory in the last general election as we remained involved in the development activities for bringing welfare to the people,” she said.

Describing the heinous attacks on general people, especially an engineer, at Shahbagh crossing and setting fire on two youths by the pickets during hartal as unfortunate and barbaric, Sheikh Hasina urged the main opposition to refrain from such anti-human activities.

The Awami League Chief accused the BNP leaders of threatening the government officials not to put their signatures in any file of the government. “If the officials can not sign files, then how the problems of gas, power and water, for which you have enforced hartal, would be solved,” she posed a question to the arch political rival BNP.

The Prime Minister said that the main opposition BNP has been carrying out such heinous activities after being deprived of the scope of looting public money after losing the last general
election.

Sheikh Hasina said her government is working relentlessly aiming at fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people for which they voted Awami League to power. “Our only objective is to build a hunger and poverty free Bangladesh after fulfilling basic rights of the people,” she added.

Expressing her confidence over ensuring welfare of the people through implementation of the national budget proposed in the house on June 10, she urged BNP not to infuse frustration into the minds of the people centering the proposed budget, which was designed to bring maximum welfare to the general masses.

In this context, she called upon all concerned including main opposition BNP to take concerted efforts in implementing the government’s new fiscal documents for building a happy and prosperous “Sonar Bangla” as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by 2021.

The Prime Minister while making her statements on the proposed budget requested the finance minister to waive income tax imposed on the sources of the saving certificates.

Apart from this, she also requested the finance minister to reduce tax on export- oriented industries, stock exchange, locally produced vaccine and small-scale trade. She also requested him to waive tax on hearing aid for the disabled people.

Thanking the officers of employees of revenue department for realizing tax more than target, the Prime Minister requested the
authorities concerned to distribute a portion of the tax among
the officials and employees.

Thanking finance minister for announcing the budget in line with the election pledges and Vision-2021 of Awami League led alliance government, the Prime Minister said special emphasis has been given on the budget to strengthen rural economy and raising living standard of 80 percent of the country’s total population living in rural areas.

Brushing aside the criticism against the budget terming it as an ambitious one, Sheikh Hasina said we have to work with high ambition for bringing welfare for the general masses. “This ambition is to raise living standard of the people of the country,” she added.

The Prime Minister said her government has been able to keep the economic wheel of the country moving despite worldwide economic recession. “Even, we have been able to keep prices of essentials under purchasing capacity of the people,” she added.

The Prime Minister in her nearly one-hour speech highlighted her government’s programmes in agriculture and food, social safety net, rural infrastructure development, health, education, power, energy, tourism, communications and trade and investment sectors.

Besides, she said her government had also taken massive progammes including construction of elevated express-way and circular way to make the capital city peacefully habitable by reducing traffic congestion in the city.

Mentioning various steps taken by her government in agriculture sector, she said agricultural cards have been distributed among 1.82 crore farmer families in the current fiscal while steps have been taken so that each farmer could open a bank account with Taka only 10.

The Prime Minister said a total of Taka 750 crore has been distributed among 92 lakh farmers while uninterrupted power supply was ensured during the Boro season. As a result, we have witnessed bumper rice, potato, jute and seasonal fruits like mango and jackfruits production this season, she added.

Regarding government’s programmes in achieving food security, the Prime Minister said special facilities have been provided to 2.2 crore people through distributing 16.04 lakh tonnes food grains under its food safety net programmes.

Besides, she said, the government has maintained a stock of 16 lakh MT of food grains to face any emergency like natural disastrous. Expressing her dismay over the past BNP government’s decision to handover the land of food godown to Chittagong EPZ at Taka only 1.00, she said it is unfortunate to take such a decision when we are facing tremendous problem in storing adequate food grains to ensure food security for our people.

In this context, she said steps have been taken to build food godown by recovering the land. Besides, she informed the house that two projects are in pipeline to get approval of ECNEC to construct 333 food godowns with 19,000 tones each across the country.

The Prime Minister referred her government’s social safety net programes and said it has increased different allowances for old, disabled to increase living standard of people.

Elaborating her government’s programmes for development of rural economy, the Prime Minister said rural economy must be strengthened aiming at ensuring overall economic uplift as the country’s economy is based on rural areas.

Referring to country’s existing power situation, the Prime Minister said her government is working relentlessly to increase the country’s power generation considering the growing demand of people.

She said the country’s power generation raised at 5, 520 MW in May this year from 3,525 MW. The Prime Minister expressed the hope that more 1120 MW power would be added in the national grid by December this year following various steps taken by the government to this end.

Giving details of her government’s programme to raise the country power generation, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that more 2,600 MW power would be generated in the country by 2015.

Calling upon the countrymen to maintain austerity in use of power, she said her government has already taken steps to distribute energy saving bulbs to save power. With the use of energy savings bulb, she said a total of 200 MW electricity would be saved per day by June next.

Sheikh Hasina said her government has undertaken short, mid and long-term programmes for increasing gas extraction in the country. In this context, she said signing of two agreements are under process for exploring two blocks in the country’s offshore areas. She said decision has made to install 356 kilometre gas transmission pipe line to provide gas in the country’s south-western region.

She said her government has already formulated a draft coal policy and upgraded energy policy. She said decision would be taken in extracting coal considering environment and interest of people, she added.

Mentioning various programmes undertaken by her government for industrial expansion and business, she said the government has finalized the draft of industrial policy and strengthened BSTI for improving quality of products.

The Prime Minister said her government has provided loan of Taka 61, 166 crore in the country’s industrial sector in the current 2009-2010 fiscal for massive industrialization.

The Prime Minister said the present government has also taken massive programes to reach the health services to the doorsteps
of people. She said her previous government had undertaken projects to set up 18,000 community clinics across the country in this regard.

But, the BNP-Jamaat alliance government after coming to power suspended the pro-people projects, she said and adding that her
present government has revived the projects to provide health service to the door steps of people.

Besides, she said steps have been taken to increase bed in thana health complex from 30 to 50 and district hospitals from 250 to 500. The prime minister also mentioned appointment of doctors and nurses to this end.

Expecting that jute will regain its lost heritage of Golden Fibre with invention of genome of jute she said the government has taken extensive programme for the development of jute and jute industries.

The jute mills have been allocated Taka 1,092 crore through cash and bank guarantee during the current financial year, she said.

Mentioning about various measures undertaken by the government for the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) she said banks and financial institutions have disbursed total Taka 23,995 crore in this sector during 2010.

Referring to initiatives for employment she said total 1,12,434 were employed during last one and a half years. The government has already undertook works for capital dredging and maintenance of rivers for bringing back their navigability, she said.

The process of construction of Padma bridge has marked much progress, she said adding assurance for US dollar 2.4 billion has already been received for construction of the bridge, which would be completed by 2013. Highlighting various measures of her government for the development of infrastructure including roads and bridges she said the government is firmly committed to economic uplift through infrastructure development.

“We want to make Dhaka as habitable,” she said adding “government has plans to construct flyovers, elevated expressways, underground roads, ring roads for reducing traffic jam and for this BRTC has already introduced 100 busses and more 700 busses would soon be collected.”

She also mentioned about various programmes of the government for resolving water crises in the city.

Mentioning about foreign policy of her government she said the past government damaged the image of the country as militancy and terrorism increased during that period. “Bangladesh is not a country of militancy, corruption, and torture of journalists,” she said adding “Bangladesh is now a country of huge potentials.”

Country’s image has increased abroad, she said adding Bangladesh has been elected at 22 organizations in the globe and Bangladesh representative was elected at CEDAW scoring the highest votes.

She referred to the efforts of her government for turning Bangladesh as a peaceful country in Asia.

Mentioning about the efforts of making the country a Digital Bangladesh she said ICT Act 2009 has already been formulated and ICT Policy 2009 has been approved for this purpose.

Besides, government has taken steps for introducing E-Post Office, mobile money, computer lab, machine readable passports, online job application, online admission, e-voting, district web portal, setting up High-Tech Park at Gazipur and also setting up
satellite.

Highlighting activities of the government during assuming power on January 6, 2009 to June 21, 2010 she said cabinet through 77 meeting has taken 487 decisions, of which 83 percent of 405 decisions were implemented.

On the other hand, BNP-Jamaat alliance government during October 10, 2001 to April 25, 2003 through 66 meetings took 237 decisions, of which 112 or 51 percent were implemented.

From January 13, 2009 to June 8, 2010, ECNEC approved 287 projects worth Taka 96,994 crore through holding 50 meeting.

Prime Minister urged all for working together for building a Sonar Bangla free from hunger, poverty and illiteracy dreamt by the best Bengali of all ages Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

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Protesting the government’s misdeeds and misrule.in protest at the misdeeds and misrule of the government, including acute shortage of power, water and gas, oppression on opposition leaders and activists, violence centring on tender manipulation, land and property grab by ruling party men, harassment of girls in educational institutions, politicisation of administration and deals signed with other countries against national interest.
Today a daylong general strike called by the main opposition party in Bangladesh. This is first such event in 3 1/2 years. The opposition party BNP had laid out the strike plan last month in protest of certain issues they have pointed out as government failure.
The general strike ( Hartal) is not a very popular mode of protest in Bangladesh. Yet opposition parties resort to this tactic more often than other means as they don’t find the alternatives to hartal as biting. One reason the opposition resort to this sort of day long general strike is because this makes the government feel insecure and vulnerable. For this same reason current ruling party Awami League resorted to 303 ( nearly a year) days of general strike since 1991.

Hartals are now more a test of the mindset of the government than anything else. Accordingly today??s hartal was an opportunity for the government to show how tolerant and democratic they are and a tool of the opposition to trap the government into exposing the government’s intolerant fascistic mindset ( if there is any).

Clearly the following photo assay shows heavy handed repressive acts of the government in a day which otherwise would have been a day of peaceful non-violent exercise of democratic right
Comments :
Hartal : Strike !!!Virus of politics: Many discussions held?by the political parties of Bangladesh. On white meeting they never support Strike, they even not get the new way rather than such a destructive and harmful event like Hartal (strike)?. To establish political demand if that is really the demand of maximum public, must can roar against Government. I am sorry to say that i never support such a political event which directly makes harm to public, what gain? I never clear. Hope many like me are not clear.

Time changed. we were under different political culture ,so at the beginning of independence -?we also needed Hartal as political demand.?Now?from my core observation. AFTER39 years THE NATION LOOKING FOR THE ALTERNATIVE AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO DIFFER WITH GOVERMENT. NO MORE HARTAL IS EXPECTED.

HARTAL IS A STRAIGHT VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS !!!!

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Bangladeshi police and protesters clash during strike,Police and opposition protesters have clashed in the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, amid the country’s first general strike for more than three years.

Police stopped marches and arrested about 200 people, officials say.

The strike was called by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies to highlight the government’s “failures and excesses”.

It is seen as the first significant challenge to PM Sheikh Hasina since she took office in January 2009.

The BBC’s Mark Dummett in Dhaka says most Bangladeshis have heeded the strike call.

Public transport and most businesses remained shut across the country.

The BNP and it ally, Jamaat-e-Islami, accuse the government of failing tackle corruption and improve services.

They are also demanding early elections.

Bangladesh is due to hold parliamentary polls in 2013.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who leads the secular Bangladesh Awami League, said on Saturday: “The BNP and its stooges are out to frustrate democracy and create anarchy

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Hartal : Strike !!!Virus of politics: Many discussions held?by the?political parties of Bangladesh. On white meeting they never support Strike, they even not get the new way rather than such a destructive and harmful event like Hartal (strike)?. To establish political demand if that is really the demand of maximum public, must can roar against Government. I am sorry to say that i never support such a political event which directly makes harm to public, what gain? I never clear. Hope many like me are not clear.

Time changed. we were under different political culture ,so at the beginning of independence -?we also needed Hartal as political demand.?Now?from my core observation. AFTER39 years THE NATION LOOKING FOR THE ALTERNATIVE AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO DIFFER WITH GOVERMENT. NO MORE HARTAL IS EXPECTED.

HARTAL IS A STRAIGHT VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS !!!!

HARTAL : STRIKE REVIEWS .

26/06/2010DHAKA: Security has been beefed up in the Bangladeshi capital today ahead of the anti government general strike called by the main opposition BNP, amid fears of violence as the supporters of the ruling Awami League plan to thwart the day-long shutdown tomorrow.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party has announced a nationwide anti-government general strike tomorrow to oppose the ruling coalition’s policies, including “compromising national interests” by inking deals with India earlier this year.
Former prime minister Khaleda Zia, the chief of the BNP, announced the anti-government campaign on May 19 for “compromising national interests?? by signing deals with India during prime minister Sheikh Hasina??s New Delhi tour in January, oppose “tender-grabbing and extortions by government cronies?? and deteriorating utility services in the country.
The authorities and the supporters of the Awami League have said they were determined to crackdown on those creating “anarchy and disorder” in the country.
Dhaka metropolitan police has banned processions on the main roads in the capital and stepped up security to prevent any violence.
Dhaka police chief AKM Shahidul Haque told mediapersons that an additional 10,000 force will be deployed in the capital to maintain order.
He said police would not prevent the BNP from its planned strike, but actions would be taken if they try to create anarchy by vandalising vehicles or setting those on fire.
Pro-government Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) today announced that it would thwart the dawn-to-dusk general strike of BNP, triggering fears of violent clashes.
“So BCL will be on the field to prevent the strike by any means,” Mahmud Hasan Ripon, the BCL president, was quoted as saying by the bdnews24 online.
He expressed fears that the radical Islamist groups, including ‘Jamaat-Shibir’ could take advantage of the strike to create chaos in a bid to halt the trial of the war criminals accused of genocide during the 1971 ‘Liberation War’.
He asked the leaders and activists of BCL to stay on the alert tomorrow.
Law minister Qamrul Islam told reporters yesterday that the government had no plans to confront the protesters, but warned: “We will not tolerate anarchy or disorder during the hartal”.
BNP chief Zia has warned the government against creating any obstruction during the countrywide shutdown.
“The government will have to bear the responsibility of the consequences if it tries to obstruct our peaceful programme,” she warned.
BNP secretary general Delwar Hossain alleged today that the government had been arresting and harassing BNP leaders and activists across the country to disrupt the strike.
BNP-led four party alliance, including the Islamist Jammat have already declared their support to the strike.
During Hasina’s New Delhi visit, Bangladesh and India signed three agreements to jointly combat the terror menace while New Delhi announced a one-billion dollar line of credit to Dhaka.
India decided to give 250MW of power to Bangladesh from the central grid while they signed a power-sharing agreement. Bangladesh also promised not to allow its territory to be used for terror against India.
Political parties have frequently resorted to shutdowns and general strikes in Bangladesh to pressure the government, often leading to violence, political deadlock and seriously crippling its economy.
An earlier UNDP report calculated that the net loss in one day’s shutdown to around Taka 500 crore while it cost the country 3 to 4% of its GDP on an average every year between 1991 and 2000.

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Bangladesh has proclaimed an order to redesign the capital city, requiring reclamation of 3,000 acres of land occupied by influential real estate companies, earlier dubbed as “land pirates” by senior government leaders.

All recommendations find place on gazette notification; fate depends on implementation

“The government had announced the DAP (Detailed Area Plan) for the capital Dhaka to prevent flooding and ease the traffic congestion in the city…this will require us to reclaim about 3,000 acres of land from the real estate companies,” a spokesman of the regulatory Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) told Media.

He added that they would launch a campaign to reclaim the land marked as flood flow zone and agricultural land in and around Dhaka while out of the total 590 square miles of jurisdiction area in the area plan, 33.35 per cent was kept for urban and rural residential and mixed purposes, which were expected to house 18.53 million people by 2015.

Several real estate companies, however, already raised high-rise residential projects involving crores while several hundred of such plots have already been sold despite media campaigns against land grabbing for unplanned projects exposing Dhaka, the home of an estimated 10.5 million people, to notorious traffic jams and water logging during monsoon rains.

According to earlier newspaper reports several of the housing project areas were occupied also by ruling Awami League leaders.

The Daily Star newspaper, however, feared that despite Tuesday’s government gazette notification approving DAP certain errant land development projects were likely to remain unscathed due to “legal loopholes”.

Quoting the government high-ups, the report said the authorities might need to take a softer stance in certain cases as the Town Improvement Act, Wetland Conservation Act, and DAP itself provide chances of appeal for violators, and discretionary authority for government high officials.

State-minister for public works and housing Abdul Mannan, who earlier declared a crusade against land grabbers calling real estate companies as “land pirates” told the newspaper that the government might need to accept “violations in certain cases”.

“But we will enforce the law sternly in the worst cases of violation,” he added. Such acceptance of errant land use will be considered only in greater public interest, said RAJUK chief Nurul Huda.

RAJUK officials said the DAP followed a principle in identifying the agricultural land, flood flow zones, water bodies and water retention ponds under a 1997 structural plan for the city.

They said several government establishments like Gazipur upazila or sub-district headquarters, Keraniganj upazila headquarters, Sonakanda BSCIC Industrial Area, Dhaka City Corporations dump at Baliarpur and Bhurulia REB office would also need to be relocated to free the flood flow zones

The committee also recommended stopping creation of a proposed military training ground for 14 Shatantra Engineering Brigade in Keranigaj, as the site is in a flood flow zone.

The private housing projects in flood flow zones recommended for abandonment are Modhumoti Model Town, Eastern Mayakanon, Advanced Angel City, Ashulia Model Town, Dhaka Udyan, Bashundhara Riverview in Keraniganj, New Uttara Model Town, BDDL Natundhara, Neptune housing project, Swarnali housing project, Swadesh housing project, Probashi Polli housing project in Gazipur, Prottasha housing project in Tongi municipality area, Shotabdi housing project, and Adarsha Shikkhok Abashik project in Uttarkawndiya. Some of these projects are not even approved.

The projects which were taken up after Dhaka’s master plan had been approved, but do not affect flood flow zones, the environment, and the livelihoods of local people will be allowed to remain untouched under a category titled ‘overlay’.

But projects marked as non-conforming developments, have to move out over a period.

The review committee identified 2,724 light, general, heavy, and noxious industries and factories as non-conforming.

Light industries include weaving and tailoring; general are food manufacturing, textiles, leather, wood products, paper, and metal; heavy industries are manufacturers of chemical products, rubber products, ceramics, plastic, glass, steel, and pharmaceuticals; while noxious ones are dyeing, tannery, fertiliser, industrial chemicals, salt, and petroleum product manufacturers.

Of them, 709 heavy and 174 noxious industries must move out from their present locations, over a period of time, to designated industrial zones, said Prof Jahan.

The rest may remain as ‘overlay’, as those are not environmentally very hazardous, he said.

Consultants hired by Rajuk submitted a draft of DAP in 2008. But urban planners, architects, and environmentalist groups vehemently opposed it, saying, it was grossly flawed with recommendations for accommodating housing projects based on earth-filling of flood flow zones.

Following the outcry, a 17-member review committee, headed by Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury, was formed in January last year to find out the planning anomalies in the draft. Finally the six-member committee also headed by Prof Reza made final recommendations that were incorporated in DAP.

In absence of DAP on time, the city’s topographic landscape, natural environment, wetlands, flood retention basins, and open spaces have been destroyed recklessly over the past decade, said urban planners

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