Chevron Bangladesh is now?exploring a new Block 7 in Patuakhali. They hope it will be successful in the upcoming year. If they successful the gas production will increase 100 million cubic feet per day.

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A section of dishonest traders are supplying smuggled Indian substandard seeds to the market using names of different brands as Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) fails to supply adequate seeds for the farmers in the district, local seed dealers said.

A one kg-packet of Indian low quality seeds is selling between Tk 200 and Tk 250 whereas the government rate for BADC produced seeds is Tk 87.

There is a target to bring about 12,000 hectares of land under jute cultivation in six upazilas of Jhenidah this year, said sources at Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).

Farmers will start sowing seeds in full swing within the next 10 days (from the last week of Falgun to the first week of Chaitra), and jute cultivation might exceed the target this season as farmers received fair price of it last year, DAE officials said.

But the farmers are likely to incur huge losses as the local markets have been flooded with substandard Indian jute seeds, the officials said.

When contacted, Khasruzzaman, senior additional director of local BADC office, told this correspondent that they earlier sent a letter to the head office in Dhaka seeking allocation of 1,500 kg jute seeds for Jhenidah but they are yet to receive any response.

A DAE official of Jhenidah, preferring anonymity, said jute plants on 1,000 hectares of land in six upazilas got damaged at a very early stage last year as the seeds were supplied from India.

“Failing to understand the quality of seeds, I sowed Indian seeds on two bighas of land last year and incurred a huge loss,” Altaf Hossain of Enayetpur village under Kaliganj upazila said.

The Indian seeds are being smuggled into the district through different bordering areas in Sadar and Alamdanga upazilas of Chuadanga, local sources said.

Rashidul Hasan, a fertiliser dealer appointed by BADC in Shailkupa, said, “Now different companies are selling Indian low quality seeds in the local market. No companies other than BADC produce jute seeds locally in Bangladesh.”

“BADC has appointed 90 seed dealers for Jhenidah but Indian substandard seeds are selling at different shops openly. If the government does not take necessary action immediately the farmers will be cheated again like the previous year and incur huge losses for sowing these low quality seeds,” Nur Hossain, president of Jhenidah Seed Dealers Welfare Association, said.

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Arsenic is a naturally occurring chemical poisonous to humans and is known to cause skin lesions and cancers of the bladder, kidney, lungs and skin.

Bangladesh has set a target of supplying safe water for all its people by 2011. A report by environment experts on arsenic contamination was released in Dhaka Monday.

“Urgent action is needed to re-focus the attention of the nation toward an arsenic-safe environment,” said Renata Lok Dessallien, U.N. resident coordinator in Bangladesh.

“Concerted efforts by the government and all stakeholders are necessary to reinvigorate arsenic monitoring and mitigation efforts and conduct comprehensive research on emerging threats.”

Millions of small tube wells were dug across Bangladesh from the late 1970s, with the help of international agencies like UNICEF, as an answer to dirty surface water which caused widespread gastrointestinal diseases.

Organic carbon can trigger the release of arsenic from sediments into groundwater. Studies have recommended against using groundwater in man-made ponds and rice fields.

“We have taken steps to ensure the proper management of surface water, including rainwater conservation,” agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury told reporters
“We will have to augment the use of surface water and simultaneously limit the use of both surface and groundwater to reduce accumulation of arsenic in crops and food sources,” Chowdhury said.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh suffer from skin lesions and experts have warned for years that Bangladesh can expect more cases of cancer if its people continue drinking arsenic-contaminated water.

According to the World Health Organization, arsenic-contaminated water directly affects the health of 35 million people in Bangladesh.

Arsenic is widely distributed throughout the earth’s crust and is introduced into water through the dissolution of minerals and ores.

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Most Bangladeshis earn their living from agriculture. Although rice and jute are the primary crops, wheat is assuming greater importance. Tea is grown in the northeast. Because of Bangladesh’s fertile soil and normally ample water supply, rice can be grown and harvested three times a year in many areas. Due to a number of factors, Bangladesh’s labor-intensive agriculture has achieved steady increases in food grain production despite the often unfavorable weather conditions. These include better flood control and irrigation, a generally more efficient use of fertilizers, and the establishment of better distribution and rural credit networks. With 35.8 million metric tons produced in 2000, rice is Bangladesh’s principal crop. National sales of the classes of insecticide used on rice, including granular carbofuran, synthetic pyrethroids, and malathion exceeded 13,000 tons of formulated product in 2003 . The insecticides not only represent an environmental threat, but are a significant expenditure to poor rice farmers. The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute is working with various NGOs and international organizations to reduce insecticide use in rice .

The climate of Bangladesh is tropical, hot and humid in summer and cool in winter. It rains heavily in monsoon. The temperature in summer ranges 21 degree Celsius while the minimum during the winter is 9 degree Celsius.

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated areas of the world with a population of about 130 million. About 86.6% of the total population is Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians make up the rest of the population. Bangladesh offers the extremes of wildlife from the blue whale, which occasionally appears in the Bay of Bengal- and the Asian elephant to the tiny pigmy shrew, the smallest mammal. The bird life ranges from the showy peacock to the tiny sparrow and the talkative Mynas, while the reptile world has the king Cobra, one of the world’s most deadly snakes and the Python, one of the largest Top of the wildlife atractions are of course, the cats-from Royal Bengal Tigers and leopards to the small fishing cat

Tourists can enjoy easily because of the language. The state language and mother language is Bangla. English is widely spoken and understood.

In transport sector, Bangladesh is now very rich. Bangladesh can be reached by air from any part of the world. Biman Bangladesh Airlines connects Dhaka with 25 major cities of the world. It also operates in 8 domestic routes. Besides Biman international carriers also fly to and for from Dhaka. Private airlines also fly on the domestic routes.

Here is a good accommodation capacity also. Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, the national tourism organization, runs a number of modern hotels, motels and cotages throughout the country. There are also many private hotels that provide efficient service and competitive prices. Visitors can also take accommodation in rest houses belonging to different government departments and other agencies. Besides, Dhaka, Chitagong, and Cox’s Bazar have quite a few international standard hotels.

Bangladesh is also a land of very tasty food. Local and foreign foods are available hare. Western, Chinese. Thai, Japanese and Korean cuisinne are available in most standard restaurants and hotels in major cities. Local delicacies include a wide verity of curries, vegetable dishes, and meat and fish preparations such as Korma, Rezala, Bhoona and Mosala roast, Muton, Chicken and Prawn are also popular. Most local restaurants serve a variety of rice preparations-Polao, Biriyani, Khinchuri-as well as substitutes such as Moglai and plain Parata, Naan Ruti, Chapati, which go well with curries. Sea fish and sweet water fish are available in most restaurants.

The locally taken hot drink known as Cha is the most popular drink. Tea produced in Bangladesh ranks among the best in the world. Coffee is served in most hotels and restaurants in cities. Among cold drinks, Lassi, a refreshing yoghurt drink is a popular summer time treat Soft drinks of most global brands are available everywhere in the country. Only big hotels and bars serve hard drinks. All bars are closed on Friday.

Besides, Misti Doi-sweetened yoghurt, Halua-a common dessert which comes in many shades from egg Halua to carrot, wheat cheese. Almond, Pistachio and so on. Sandesh-milk made dessert, Zarda-sweetened rice with nuts, Firni rice flower cooked in milk and sugar with flavouring, Rasogolla and Kalojam-two popular milk- based dessert (sweetmeat) made with sugar, flour and ghee. Rosho Malai-sweet floating in thick milk, Pitha-a common name for cakes or pasties-in varieties such as Chitoi, Dhupi, Puli, Bhapa, Pakan etc that are available throughout the country.

Among wide varieties of seasonal fruits of Bangladesh are Leechies, Mangoes, (king of fruits), Blackberries, Kanthals, Bananas, Jackfruits, Watermelons, Papaws, Pineapples, Coconuts and Oranges.

Places of historical interest: Dhaka

Dhaka founded in 1608 as the seat of the Imperial Moghuls victory over Bengal. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, has grown from a placid litle town to a bustling city of close to 13 million people. Dhaka is the hub of most industrial and commercial activities in the country.

Suhrawardy Udyan (garden): Located at a stone’s throw from Dhaka Hotel and partly within the campus of Dhaka University, this udyan formerly a race course bears testimony to our historical struggle for Independence. It is here where the Commander of the occupation forces surrendered with 95,000 soldiers on 16 December in 1971.

Lalbagh Fort: The fort of Aurangzeb popularly known as the Lalbagh Fort was built in 1678 by Prince Muhammad Azam, son of Moghul Emperor Aurangazeb, who was the Viceroy of Bengal.

Mosques: Dhaka is renowned as a city of Mosques. Among more than a couple of thousands of Mosques, the prominent ones are the Seven Domed Mosques (17th century), the Star mosque (18th century) and Baitul Mukkarram, national Mosque built in 1960′s.

Temples- Among the more prominent of the Hindu Temples are the Dhakeshwari Temple (11th century) and Ram Krishna Mission.

Buddhist Monasteries- The Kamlapur Buddhist Monasteries at Kamalapur and Merul Badda are two notable Buddhist temples of Dhaka.

Churches- Dhaka has a number of old churches of which the Armenian Church (1781), St Marry’s Cathedral in Ramna and St Thomas’s Cathedral (1677) at Tejgaon are the most prominent

Shahid Minar- The graceful monument situated near the Dhaka Medical College Hospital commemorates the martyrs of the historical Language Movement of 1952.

Banga Bhaban- A splendid piece of architecture, Banga Bhaban is the official residence of the President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

National Museum- Housed in an impressive building at Shahbag, the Museum contains a large number of exhibits including sculpture, coins, paintings and inscriptions.

Ramna Green-Ramna Green is the largest park in the city with vast stretches of well-kept ground with a lake that cuts it into half. The park is also the venue for many national functions.

National Park- The National Park is situated at Rajendrapur, 40 km north of Dhaka in the magnificent Bhawal region along Dhaka-Mymenisngh highway. The vast 1600 acres of forested area is an ideal destination for eco-tourism).

National Mausoleum- Located at Savar, in the suburb of Dhaka city, the splendid memorial commemorates the Martyrs of the War of Independence in 1971. The sprawling campus of Jahangirnagar University is located nearby.

Memorial for the Martyrs of 1857 (Bahadur Shah Park)- The Memorial commemorates the martyrs of the first Liberation War (1857-59) against the British rule. It was here that rebel soldiers and their civilian compatriots were publicly hanged.

Muktijuddho Museum- Situated at Segun Bagicha, it possesses a rich collection of rare photographs of Liberation War and articles used by the freedom fighters.

Ahsan Manzil-Located at on the bank of River Buriganga in the old part of Dhaka. Ahsan Manzil is a reminder of the nation’s rich cultural heritage. The large mansion was built in the Victorian style with some elements of late Braque thrown in. It was the home of the Nawabs of Dhaka. Recently renovated and painted in bright pink, the mansion has been converted into a museum containing articles and utensils used by the Nawabs.

National Assembly Complex-The magnificent National Assembly complex building with ancillary traces was designed by the world renowned architect Luis Kahn and is considered one of the landmarks of modern architecture. Baldah Garden-Baldah Garden situated in the old part of the city, has a very rich collection of rare species of plants and flowers.

Narayanganj-16 km away from Dhaka on the bank of River Sitalakhya,. Narayanganj is the biggest inland river port of Bangladesh.

Sonargaon-30 km to the south-east of Dhaka lies Sonargaon, an ancient capital of Bengal. It was the seat of Dev dynasty until the 13th century. From this period onward until the advent of the Moghuls Sonargaon was a subsidiary capital of the Sultanate of Bengal.

From all the aspects we are very proud to say that bangladesh is full of natural agricultural environment. but besides this we are not using this treasure with properly. If we can use our DESI product properly we can earn a lots of foriegn currenncy and also the country people could enjoy the DESI product.

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After coming to operation in 1988 it could not produce at expected rate for even 12 years. This according to many is one of the most expensive gas resource development projects where costs were revised and approved several times in not too transparent manner.

In the name of accelerated Development a hurriedly laid and poorly designed offshore pipeline required expensive refurbishment 5 years after commissioning. Unprofessional rate of production ignoring advice of PB Reservoir specialist Late Quazi Shahidur Rahman caused unfortunate depletion of reserve within 5 years of production.

Unnecessary setting up of white elephant 520MMCFD capacity gas plant at Salimpoor opposite to?Faujdarhat Cadet?College?caused huge drainage of money through cost recovery. This field never ever produced even 50 % of the capacity of the plant.

The gas field tripped more than 100 times causing gas draught in the?Chittagong?area. For the last three years it is dying its natural death causing immense miseries to all gas users inChittagong?area.

PSC permits any operator to produce a maximum of 12% per annum of Ultimate recoverable reserve from the field. The fact that Shangu is set to deplete completely soon if after producing @40MMCFD for the last three years evidence that the operation was managed very unprofessionally with virtually no PB overview. Some people off course made merry at the cost of the nation.

Chittagong?and BGSL franchise area must consider itself unfortunate as after Bakhrabad Gas field production disaster in late 90s of the last millennium Shangu is the second field which met same fate due to same reasons- over production.?Bangladesh?unfortunately did not learn lesson. Many apprehend same fate may happen to Bibiyana as well. Short visioned policy makers act irresponsibly leaving legacy for predecessors.

Shangu syndrome has put entire?Chittagong?area in serious Gas Crisis.Chittagong?most relied on gas from Shangu for a long time. From 140MMCFd production dropped down to 35 over the last two years. National Gas grid can not meet the requirement of?Chittagong?about 300MMCFD.

The deficit of about 60-70 MMCFD is causing serious crisis to power generation and industry operations. Government despite repeated suggestions did not build another loop line of Bakhrabad ?Chittagong to divert more gas from Grid The exploration and Development of Magnama and Hatiya and off shore exploration also did start till now. There is no way that Chittagong will get relief of gas crisis soon unless Government can undertake the following actions expeditiously:

1.??Construct Bakhrabad- Chittagong Loppline on top priority basis,

2.?Set up Floating LNG plant beside Shangu offshore platform and arrange to import 500MCCFd LNG within 2 years.

3. Steer Cairn effectively to complete exploration and development of Magnama and Hatiya prospects.

4. Complete works of Semutang ASAP.

5. Engage IOCs to explore in Offshore without any fuss

There can not be any major investment in Chittagong area in any energy consuming industry until gas situation is sorted out. There are floating LNG plant suppliers who can set up and commission floating LNF G facilities on Shangu area in less than two years. The platform and offshore pipeline and onshore gas plant can be utilised.

We hope PM Sheikh Hasina will act positively for it now for greater national interest. Several existing industries are seriously suffering from gas crisis. Many investors investing millions of dollars are waiting for gas connection. The situation is giving wrong signal to investment community.

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To achieve the government?s target of full access in a cost effective manner, this project proposed a two track approach: (i) expand the electricity distribution grid to connect new consumers and
(ii) support renewable energy options to provide electricity in areas not reached by the grid by making solar home systems (SHS) available to households and a biomass pilot project to electrify village markets and associated small enterprises and households. The project is implemented by the Rural Electrification Board (REB) through its rural electric cooperatives (Pally Bidyut Samities ? PBS) and the Infrastructure Development Company (IDCOL) through its participating organizations ? mainly NGOs and private sector companies. IDCOL provides the participating organizations with subsidies and concessional loans to purchase PV systems in bulk, and the partners can then provide credit to rural households to buy systems.

As of September 2006, the project has brought electricity to more than 400,000 consumers in Bangladesh. Access to electricity has increased to 38% from 30% in 2002. At the same time 80,000 consumers had been provided with Solar Home Systems (SHS), surpassing the original target of 50,000. These households, connected by SHS, would have never received electricity if only conventional electrification methods had been used.

Highlights:
This is some of the impact electricity is bringing to people?s lives (findings of a baseline survey measuring the socioeconomic impact of rural electrification):
- Time spent by a child on reading/studying is likely to increase by about 6 percent under electric lighting than when kerosene lamp of dry cell battery is used
- Increase of electricity use at home leads to a decrease of 20 percent in children?s school-days missed caused by illness, compared to non-electrified areas;
- Electricity use at home makes 18 percent more time available per day for listening to radio compared to areas without electricity
- Time spent on household chores decrease by 6 percent in the electrified households compared to non-electrified households
- Use of electricity at home increases the incidence of home business by about 8 percent compared to non-use of electricity at home

- The total project cost is about US$ 298 million, of which IDA provided US$ 191 million credit, government provided US$ 92 million, GEF provided US$ 8 million grant, and local communities provided US$ 7 million equity.
- Apart from the investment component of increasing access to rural people, IDA contributed in designing components to increase the financial viability of the rural electric cooperatives.
- By rationalizing the service boundaries between urban and rural utilities and renovating of the old distribution network (both supported by the project) the system losses of REB have been reduced from more than 18 percent in FY 2001 to less than 13 percent in FY 2006.
- Rationalizing the service boundaries reduced duplication of investment as previously both the urban power utilities and REB were connecting consumers in semi-urban areas. As this project has clearly demarcated service boundaries and the urban utilities are transferring their assets in semi-urban areas to REB, investment requirement to connect the same consumers have been halved.
- This project proved the importance of renewable energy options as a practical method of electrification. Previously, government had little faith in these schemes. Now government has also started to contribute funds to promote renewable energy options
- With support from IDA, REB is computerizing its Head Office along with most of the PBSs and is carrying out a financial restructuring study to review the subsidy mechanism of the PBSs and to find out ways to target the subsidy better and to commercialize the financially viable PBSs.

To achieve the Government?s vision of the power sector is to provide electricity for all by 2020, government needs to ensure that REB and PBSs are working towards this vision in a sustainable manner. IDA strategy is to strengthen the managerial capability of the Rural Electrification Board to ensure that it can function autonomously and at arms length from the government. This would require some changes in the way REB is currently structured. IDA would like to support this change given the strategic role of REB in rural electrification. The SHS market created by this project would also require some further support to become mature. While other donors such as KfW and GTZ have already shown interest further assistance from IDA and GEF may be required.

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At the moment, only 40 per cent of Bangladesh’s nearly 150 million people have access to electricity, often only for a few hours a day.

At some places, electricity does now show up for days, making lives difficult at home and disrupting industries and farming, where irrigation pumps stand idle.

The country’s power system is almost entirely dependent on fast depleting fossil-fuel, with state-owned and private sector power plants only able to generate up to 3,800 megawatts of electricity a day against a demand of 5,500 megawatts.

All of this makes solar energy systems, offered to villagers heavily subsidised by the World Bank and via an installment scheme run by the state-owned Infrastructure and Development Company Limited (IDCOL), a big relief.

“Life has become much easier now,” said Kulsum Begum, a mother of four whose husband and son work abroad and who lives in Pritomoddi, some 60 km (40 miles) southeast of the capital Dhaka.

Begum installed a 40-watt solar system on the roof of her house, which powers four bulbs, one television and also recharges her lifeline: her mobile phone.

“Whenever I need something, I call my husband or son on the cellphone. I am so happy now,” she said.

?

NEWS .

Grameenphone (GP), the country’s top mobile phone operator, has selected Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei to deploy first solar-powered base transceiver stations (BTS) in Bangladesh, .

Huawei will install its fourth-generation base stations, using a solar and diesel generator hybrid power solution to provide mobile connectivity in rural areas. The base stations will primarily be powered by harnessing solar energy without having to be linked to an electricity grid. The diesel generator will be used as a backup.

Once deployed, the new system will improve GP’s network performance by preventing service interruption, a previously persistent challenge in Bangladesh due to power instability, a Huawei press statement said in the capital, Dhaka.

Huawei has developed a series of end-to-end green solutions for wireless broadband networks, using a combination of solar energy, wind power and diesel fuel, according to the statement.

Norway’s telecom giant Telenor owns 62 percent of the GP, which was launched in 1997, while the remaining 38 percent is held by local Grameen Telecom.

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He said obviously there was a lot of suspicion out there, maybe for certain reasons, but everybody must recognise that the time was to move forward.
For example, Moriarty said, if Chevron and the government had worked together to increase Bangladesh?s vastly reduced power some people would insist that it was an evidence of conspiracy.?If the governments of Bangladesh and India sign a regional power sharing deal, some people would say it is a conspiracy,? he said.
The US envoy categorically said: ?It is not conspiracy, it is partnership.?
Moriarty however hailed Bangladesh for coming to a consensus on that energy is a priority.
?Improvement in energy situation would have knock on effects both on the industries and households,? he noted.

ABOUT James F. Moriarty
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James F. Moriarty, October 3, 2007. Official U.S. State Department photoJames F. Moriarty is a United States diplomat and career foreign service officer with the rank of Minister-Counselor. As of 2008 he is the current U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh. His appointment was confirmed as by the Senate on March 14, 2008 and he was sworn in on March 26, 2008.

Prior to this assignment, Mr. Moriarty served as U.S. Ambassador to Nepal between 2004 and 2007. Before moving to Nepal, Ambassador Moriarty served in 2002?2004 as Special Assistant to the President of the United States of America and Senior Director at the National Security Council. He was responsible for advising on and coordinating U.S. policy on East Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific region. Ambassador Moriarty also worked in the White House in 2001?2002 as National Security Council Director for China Affairs.

In 1998?2001, Ambassador Moriarty served as Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. In 1994?1998, he led the General Affairs (Political) Section at the American Institute in Taiwan. Ambassador Moriarty shaped the U.S. response to Chinese missile tests in the Taiwan Strait, the U.S. bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, and the ramming of a U.S. EP-3 plane off China?s Hainan Island. In these jobs and at the National Security Council, Ambassador Moriarty helped lay the groundwork for U.S.-China policy for the 21st century.

As Deputy Director of the State Department?s Office of United Nations (UN) Political Affairs in 1991?93, Ambassador Moriarty coordinated U.S. policy on UN Security Council issues. He received the American Foreign Service Association?s Rivkin Award for his principled approach to the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.

Ambassador Moriarty was Diplomat-in-Resident at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1993?94. Earlier assignments in his career included postings at the U.S. Embassies in Pakistan, Swaziland, and Morocco, additional tours in Beijing and Taipei, and work on African issues at the U.S. Department of State. He joined the Foreign Service in 1975.

Ambassador Moriarty earned his Bachelor of Arts in History, summa cum laude, from Dartmouth College. He speaks Chinese, Nepali, Urdu, French and Bangla. Among his numerous awards are individual State Department Superior Honor Awards for his work in China (2000) and on Yugoslavia (1993) and two Group Superior Honor Awards. For his reporting and analysis in Pakistan, Ambassador Moriarty won the Director General?s 1987 Award as the State Department?s best reporting officer. He received a Presidential Pay Award in 2005 and, on numerous occasions, State Department Performance Pay.

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The cabinet committee on economic affairs found some last minute ‘gaps’ in the information provided by the energy ministry on the selection of two companies for offshore gas exploration.

State-run energy giant Petrobangla had primarily selected the US oil company ConocoPhillips and Irish firm Tullow for nine offshore blocks under the country’s latest offshore bidding launched in February 2008.

ConocoPhillips was picked for eight blocks and Tullow for one, although the energy ministry has recently halved the number of blocks to be leased out and sent the revised proposal to the cabinet committee for final approval.

The cabinet committee led by finance minister AMA Muhith reviewed the ministry’s final proposal but found it “lacked adequate data and information,” cabinet division spokesman Motiur Rahman told reporters.

“The committee members also observed that the proposal needs further review,” he said, adding the energy ministry has been asked to submit the proposal again within the shortest possible time after covering the gaps.

Energy ministry officials have refused to comment on the cabinet committee’s feet dragging, but they sounded confident that the offshore blocks would be awarded soon to boost the country’s long term energy security.

“We are going to send the proposal again after plugging the information gaps,” a top official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The offshore bidding was launched by the army-backed caretaker government in the wake of depleting gas reserve in the country. But it left the decision on awarding of the gas blocks to the elected government.

The two international oil companies (IOCs) pledged to invest a total of $492.52 million in exploration if they were awarded the exploration rights in all the nine blocks.

ConocoPhillips offered to invest $442.67 million and offered a bank guarantee of the same amount, while Tullow committed to invest $49.85 million and offered a bank guarantee of $33.9 million.

The cabinet committee also sent back the underground metro-rail project to the communications ministry, finding the proposal lacking necessary data, Rahman said.

“The committee has said that the metro-rail project needs further review,” he said.

The communications ministry had sought the cabinet body to invite international tender for the subway project and to finalise the terms and conditions committee to execute the project.

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