Haque Specialized Group's News

CHITTAGONG, Aug 18: The High Court (HC) has dismissed a writ petition that challenged the realisation of 17 per cent holding tax by the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) as per the model tax schedule 2016 framed by the government.  The HC in its verdict has paved the way for assessment and realisation of taxes and rates at 17 per cent including 7 per cent holding tax, 7 per cent conservancy rate and 3 per cent illumination rate by the city corporation, said Chittagong Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin while exchanging views with media people at Chittagong Press Club this afternoon.  An HC bench comprising Justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice JBM Hassan on Wednesday issued the ruling on the writ petition filed by four persons including Md Jahirul Haque.  Earlier, the High Court issued a stay order on the realisation of tax by the city corporation for six months and asked the corporation to explain why it should impose 17 per cent tax on city dwellers.   The mayor said different newspapers wrongly stated in their reports that the court ruled to realise 7 per cent tax in stead of 17 per cent based on misreading of the court ruling because the court has retained total tax at 17 per cent while holding tax at 7 per cent is one of the three components of the tax regime.  He further said as per clauses 3, 5, 6 and 8 of the City Corporation Model Tax Schedule 2016, the government fixed holding tax at 7 per cent, conservancy rate at 7 per cent, illumination rate at 5 per cent and health tax at 8 per cent. The Chittagong City Corporation is realising 17 per cent in three segments.  The mayor said the whole mass transit system in the city would be brought under a single management that can reduce traffic congestion largely. Bus operators create traffic congestion at intersections as they are engaged in an unhealthy competition to draw maximum passengers, he added.  Under the single management, he said, vehicle owners would get their due profit share of transport fare according to their seat capacity excluding expenditure on account of wages of drivers and helpers, fuel cost and other related costs.  It will also immensely benefit the passengers, he said, adding that he has already made such a proposal to the mass transport operators who are operating buses and other modes of vehicles in the city.  The mayor said he has also planned to construct passengers' sheds at all crossings and halt stations in the city. Regarding freeing the footpaths from hawkers, he said footpaths in the city would be freed from hawkers immediately after this Eid-ul-Azha. The mayor said listed hawkers would get a part of the footpaths to be dedicated to them to sell their goods from 5.00 pm to 11.00 pm leaving the rest of the footpaths open for the commuters.  Only listed hawkers having identity cards with photographs to be issued by the city corporation would be allowed on the spaces marked for them, he added.  Presided over by president of Chittagong Press Club Kalim Sarwar, the meeting was addressed, among others, by Press Club general secretary Suklal Das, former presidents Abu Sufian and Ali Abbas, president and general secretary of Chittagong Union of Journalists Reaz Hyder Chowdhury and Mohammed Ali respectively, general secretary of Chittagong Journalists Cooperative Housing Society Hasan Ferdous and Press Club joint secretary Chowdhury Farid. pankajdastider@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-08-19 05:00:04

Almost entire Fulbari Upazila of Kurigram has suffered damages in flooding, report agencies. As river banks eroded and floodwaters broke through the embankments, people scrambled to save their homes and belongings. Stories of losses now fill the air of the villages in Fulbari. Abu Hossain, 60, said he was resting in his home at Chargorok Mondol village on Saturday afternoon when he heard a loud noise. "I was feeling sleepy lying on my bed when I heard people screaming outside. I ran to the road beside the embankment and saw a deluge headed our way. "I went back home. Then I heard that horrible noise. The torrent was tearing down trees and soon there was water everywhere. I saw the village mosque and my neighbour Abul Hossain's home disappear into the water." A stream of the Dharala river had torn down the embankment at Gorokmondol.        "I managed to move my family to safety. But we couldn't save anything. The household I built for 40 years is gone. It's gone away with water and mud," the man said as he cried uncontrollably. The others had similar stories. They had witnessed floods that submerged their village and crops, but losing entire homes was something new altogether. Aid did not come often, and when it did, the food provided is not enough to last more than a day, the people complained. Some tried to dry their rice grains whenever the sun peered through the clouds.                 "We are poor people. We won't get help even if we die. The union's chairman and members don't look after us," said an elderly 'Sofur'. "I was given 10 kilograms of rice to distribute to 40 flood victims. But who will I give this to? There are hundreds of people here! I am in trouble," said Khoimuddin, a union council member at Barabhita. At least 8,000 families in Barabhita union have suffered damages in the flood, said chairman Khaibar Ali. "I have ten tonnes of rice. This is way below what is needed."    Fulbari Upazila Executive Officer Debendranath Urao said the floodwaters are starting to recede and people are returning to their homes. "The Upazila administration has been running a kitchen for distributing Khichuri among flood victims. We will continue to provide them the food until situation returns to normal." In Dinajpur thousands of farm animals were facing a fodder crunch. The crisis unfolded due to floodwaters submerging large swathes of grassy fields and around one-and-a -half tonnes of straw, said Abul Kalam Azad, district livestock official, on Friday. Almost 600,000 animals were suffering from the crisis. The numbers include 372,000 cows, over 200,000 goats, 11,000 sheep and hundreds of buffaloes. An urgent supply of 10,000 tonnes of fodder has been released by the government, which is expected to reach the district in the coming couple of days, said Azad. "Water level in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna was receding by 20 to 25 cm on an average at most places, meaning the river system would be normal within the next four or five days," Executive Engineer of Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) Md Sazzad Hossain said. "Although the Padma at Goalundo point is flowing above the danger mark by 106 cm, it will be flowing at the normal level within the next few days," he said.  The overall flood situation may improve significantly in the country as the trend of less rainfall is seen in Bangladesh and upstream regions of India, Sazzad added. Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya said relief operations would be continued until floodwater recedes. "We have sent adequate relief materials to the flood-affected districts of the northern region to mitigate sufferings of the affected people," he said while distributing relief materials among the flood-hit people on the premises of Shilpakala Academy in Thakurgaon. In Rangpur, the flood situation improved further until 9:00 am on Friday with continuous fall in water levels of the major rivers in the northern districts on the Brahmaputra basin. "The situation is getting normal gradually in Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Dinajpur and Rangpur districts where most of the displaced people returned home while the situation is continuously improving in Kurigram and Gaibandha districts now," said Divisional Commissioner Kazi Hasan Ahmed. In Natore's in Singra upazila Aman plants on around 1900 hectares of land have been washed away by flood water as the Atrai River has burst its bank. The Atrai was flowing 55 centimeters above its danger mark until Friday morning, leaving houses and crop lands in vast areas in its vicinity flooded, said Sudangshu Kumar Sarker, Executive Engineer of Water Development Board, Natore. "The farmers of the area brace for huge losses of crops due to the flood fury," said Sajjad Hossian, Singra Upazila Agriculture officer.....

Published at: 2017-08-19 05:00:04

KOLKATA, Aug 18: Six of the top private hospitals in the city have seen a sharp decline in the number of patients from Bangladesh over the last few months. While some have registered a drop of nearly 15 per cent, most have seen a sharper slide in the number of admissions taken and procedures undergone by Bangladeshi patients, a consistent source of business for over a decade, according to an online report by indiatimes.com. Even though patient volume from the neighbouring country has increased manifold over the years, the recent months -- according to a section of private hospital authorities -- have seen the drop particularly after some hospitals came under fire from the state government, which held many guilty of negligence and bill inflation. The three centres of AMRI Hospitals at Dhakuria, Mukundapur and Salt Lake receive around 2,500 patients monthly from Bangladesh. Since March, the number has dropped by nearly 15 per cent. AMRI CEO Rupak Barua feels the slide is directly linked to the bad publicity Kolkata hospitals received after the CMRI ransack in February. The incident had prompted CM Mamata Banerjee to pull up private hospitals for allegedly fleecing patients. Ruby General Hospital saw a marginal drop in the number of both admissions and outpatients from Bangladesh between March and June. The figures picked up in July, but the flight of Bangladeshis to other cities hasn't stopped, says Subhashish Dutta, general manager (administration). "Ever since Kolkata hospitals came under fire this February, Bangladeshis have been following the developments keenly and exchanging notes on social media. They are clearly wary of our hospitals now, especially when it comes to taking admissions. While the drop in numbers isn't very sharp yet, the crisis period is not over. Unless we can shrug off the negative image and regain their trust, the numbers might tumble further," says Dutta. Ruby receives around 450 Bangladeshi patients per month, including around 30 indoor patients. The latter had dropped to 20 in June. Dutta adds that stringent visa rules -- which now make it mandatory to secure a medical visa for hospital admission -- could also contribute to the falling numbers. "Even though this is true for any Indian city, Bangladeshis have traditionally preferred to club a Kolkata trip with treatment. So, they invariably come to Kolkata with a tourist visa, keeping their treatment plans fluid. Now they will be forced to plan in advance, in which case they could prefer cities like Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi that have a better image than Kolkata," he says. Two private hospitals in south Kolkata, which together receive around 700 Bangladeshi patients a month, have seen a 5.0 per cent drop in the number of inpatients over the last five months. While the number of those seeking consultations haven't dropped significantly, few are seeking admissions, according to a spokesperson. "Till recently, treatment in Kolkata would be clubbed with a holiday trip to the city. The pattern has changed. Many are flying down to southern states after undergoing a few diagnostic tests here as outpatients. Previously, these patients would take admission and undergo procedures in our hospitals," the spokesperson said. Some hospitals have witnessed a marginal rise in the number of outpatients, though. Apollo Gleneagles, for instance, has been receiving more than 6,500 patients every month. RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS), too, has seen a slight spiral in the number of patients from Bangladesh and other states.....

Published at: 2017-08-19 05:00:04

The reduced rates of interest on housing loans have hardly made any impact on sales of flats as around 10,000 apartments still remain unsold, according to realtors. Many members of the apex body Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) have not renewed their memberships this year. Not a single realtor has joined the REHAB as a new member despite the commerce ministry's directive for its mandatory membership for running housing business. But realtors and experts are optimistic. They think declining interest rates will certainly have a positive impact in business but it will take time. First vice president of REHAB Liakat Ali Bhuiyan is optimistic about a turn-around in the sector.   He said it has not been a long time that the interest rates started declining. It will take time to see its impact. He said their members had some unsold 20,000 flats in fiscal year (FY) 2012-13, but the number has come down to 10,000 now. Mr Bhuiyan said very few companies are coming up with new projects as the sector is still recovering from sluggish trend since 2011. According to REHAB, the number of realtors in the association is now 998 which were 1,074 last year and 1,300 in 2012. The Ministry of Commerce issued a circular in May last saying membership of REHAB was mandatory to run housing sector business in the country. But no new member entered the association since then. According to REHAB, there are around 1,500 real estate companies which did not take its membership. About the mandatory membership, he said the new members will have to join the REHAB if they want to run their businesses. But non-members are saying otherwise. Farhad Builders, a small housing company, started its business in 2011. It has two projects -- one in Mirpur and another in Bashabo. Managing Director Farhad Hossain said he saw the circular. But his business is so bad now that he cannot even pay the membership entry fee of REHAB. He could sell only 15 flats out of total 40 in last four years.  Mr Farhad Hossain said he will apply for membership if there is a positive change in the sector. Former Vice-President (Admin) of REHAB Sardar Md. Amin said though interest rates on loans have come down to single-digit in most of the private commercial banks, there is no visible improvement in the sector owing to rise in cost of living, high inflation, uncertainty etc. According to a new study by the Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM), the disbursement of loans to housing sector soared in last eight years from 2009 to 2016, but sales of flats or apartments declined sharply. The home loan disbursement increased by over 41 per cent to around 66 per cent in 2016 from 25 per cent in 2009. It was around 30 per cent in 2006. On the other hand, the loans to purchase flats and apartments declined by 33.81 per cent in last eight years to 20.81 per cent in 2016 from 54.62 per cent in 2009. It was 35 per cent in 2006. Professor of BIBM Md Mohiuddin Siddique, who led the study team, told the FE the study did not find the reasons why flat sales dropped sharply. He said loans for buying flats were less than the home construction loans, but the latter saw a sharp rise during the period under study. According to the study, total outstanding home loans were Tk 86 billion in 2004-05 while it stood at Tk 562 billion in 2015-16. Executive Director of Policy Research Institute (PRI) Dr Ahsan H Mansur told the FE the situation is improving gradually but the sluggish trend will last one to two years more. "The flat price was too much inflated during the last few years and a large number of realtors contributed to the bubble," he said. He thinks 600 to 700 companies are enough for the market. He said realtors will not be able to reduce apartment prices much as prices of construction materials and labour costs soared during recent years. "The purchasing capacity of the people has also increased. So the market certainly will see positive turn-around in one or two years," he said. According to REHAB sources, an apartment in Mirpur, which was selling at Tk 5,000-Tk 6,000 per square feet about five years ago is now available at Tk 3,500-Tk 4,500, Similarly, the price of a flat in Dhanmondi has dropped as low as Tk 10,000 per square feet from the peak of Tk 22,000 four years ago. The prices have also dropped in other areas. The apartment prices fell by 20 to 30 per cent over the last couple of years from its peak in 2011-12.     bdsmile@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-08-19 05:00:04

The Mongla Port Authority (MPA) will dredge the outer bar of the channel of the Pashur river to facilitate movement of vessels with higher draft. The dredging will take place as per the recommendation of the UNESCO that asked the MPA not to destroy the lone breeding ground of marine animals with dredged materials at the 'swatch of no ground,' officials said. The World Heritage Centre (WHC) under the UNESCO expressed the fear that the dumping of the dredged materials in the 'swatch of no ground' may destroy the habitat of marine animals. The 'swatch of no ground' is a 14 km-wide deep sea area of the Bay of Bengal, located south of Sundarbans National Park and the island of Dublar Char. The area hosts important habitats for cetaceans including endangered species like various dolphins, Irrawaddy dolphins, and Bryde's whales. A Tk 7.33 billion project, funded from the state coffer, has been taken to dredge the channel on direct purchase method. Earlier, the Institute of Water Modelling (IWM) conducted a feasibility study of the project which suggested that the dredged materials can be thrown in 'swatch of no ground area.' However, environmentalists and the WHC expressed their reservation over throwing of the dredged materials close to the Sundarbans, a heritage site. Officials said responding to the objections made by WHC and environmental activists, the IWM later revisited the study report and suggested that the dredged materials should be thrown at least 50 to 70 kilometres inside the deep see so that those can't harm the 'swatch of no ground' and the Sundarbans. Sources said the ministry of shipping (MoS) held a meeting recently to decide on the issue and asked the MPA to follow the UNESCO suggestion in this case. The ministry also asked the port authority to get approval of the amended study report of the IWM from the department of environment. MPA chairman AKM Faruque Hassan earlier told the FE the port will be very busy once vehicles start plying through the Padma Bridge, handling of transit cargoes of neighbouring countries begins and construction of Rampal power plant starts. He said several other coal-fired power plants are also to be built adjacent to the Mongla port area. The port will be busier while handling coal for the power plants. "So, we need to dredge the channel to help plying of bigger vessels in future," Mr Hassan noted. According to officials, some 10 million cubic metres of sands will be dredged from the river bed at the outer bar of the Pashur channel under the project to help ships anchor up to 10.5 metres draft during natural tide. The UNESCO has reservations over carrying out any development activities adjacent to the Sundarbans, including construction of Rampal coal-fired power plant, which could be harmful for the world's largest mangrove forest. The UN agency also objected to plying of vessels in the rivers inside the Sundarbans as ships' movement can affect its magnificent flora and fauna and the natural ecosystem.   In the recent years, several vessels, laden with fuel oil, fertilisers and some other goods sank in the Sundarbans rivers triggering criticism from environmentalists at home and abroad. syful-islam@outlook.com ....

Published at: 2017-08-19 05:00:04