Haque Specialized Group's News

Dhaka Mass Transit Company (DMTC) is yet to start implementing its manpower recruitment plan, apparently raising concerns over smooth operation of the metro rail in the capital, which is scheduled to be commissioned in 2019. The state-run company could not also be made fully functional even two years after its formation, seriously affecting the implementation works of the country's first metro rail project, sources said. They said the DMTC has not recruited any single person so far out of a plan for appointing over 1,900 people. The plan was submitted to the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development (DMRTD) project office two years ago. According to the project insiders and experts, the setback has already delayed the process of preparing the manpower - the staff require at least two years of training to make them ready for running and maintaining the sophisticated and complicated transport system like metro rail. Since becoming active in 2015 with the constitution of the DMTC board of directors, only the board meeting was being held regularly. The board members comprising representatives of all relevant ministries, private sector and BUET sit almost every month. The DMTC, constituted by a government order on 21 Jan 2013 with a capital of Tk 100 billion, was working as the project implementation unit of the Dhaka Metro Rail projects. All the existing staffs, including the project director who was carrying out additional charge as managing director of the DMTC, have since been working on deputation from Roads and Highways Department and Bangladesh Railway. "The DMTC should start working right now. It has already been late," said an expert involved with the project. The DMRTD project, now under implementation stage, is set to develop 20-kilometre elevated metro rail known as Mass Rapid Transit Line-6 (MRT-6) from Uttara to Motijheel. According to the DMRTD project, a recruitment plan for the DMTC was submitted to the project office in 2015 to equip the company with 110 staff in 2015-16, followed by 115, 112, 235 and 1,271 in the following four years. The plan remained completely unimplemented. It is learnt that the general consultants to the DMRTD project has already prepared the training plan for the DMTC staff. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the main financier of the US$ 3.0 billion project, and the general consultants repeatedly requested the government to complete the recruitment process, sources said. "The MRT system needs to be maintained with full proof safety and efficiency. Otherwise, it will collapse," said a consultant. He said that the incidents of derailment or any unwanted situation in the case of railway system could be managed with less disaster or by quickly making the train service operational. But, he warned, it would be totally damaging in the case of MRT as it would stop the entire service and the disaster would be unlimited. Secretary of Road Transport and Highways Division MAN Siddique, however, said the recruitment process will start by the end of this year as the DMTC would not need the manpower at this stage of project implementation. It would help save the government money. "Why should we start direct recruitment for the company and give them salary when the project implementation is yet to be completed? Let the project be completed," he told the FE over phone Sunday. The secretary, who is also the chairman of the DMTC board, said they have enough time to train up the manpower as the MRT will be commissioned in 2019. However, experts said the process of transfer of technology and experience should start by now due to the new nature of project in the country. "We are missing the golden opportunities as the DMTC's technical and non-technical hands should gather experience from now and learn the lessons of quality control of the highly technical infrastructure," said an expert, who is involved with the project. He also said that being the first project, the government has to accept overlapping of time for developing the company's own efficient manpower through training. smunima@yahoo.com....

Published at: 2017-03-20 00:00:05

JHENAIDAH, Mar 19: State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak said on Sunday the government planned to bring the country's all unions under high-speed internet connectivity by 2018. "Now about 60 lakh (6.0 million) people are getting digital services through 5,272 union digital centres in all over the country", Palak said. The state minister was speaking at the inaugural function of the "Online billing and payment system and Human waste treatment plant project" of Jhenidah Municipality as the chief guest. Palak also said people now can pay all bills, including municipality tax, online. Poura mayor Saidul Karim Mintu presided over the function.    — BSS....

Published at: 2017-03-20 00:00:05

The relationship between the government and the NGOs, which has traditionally been an 'antagonistic' one, needs to be a 'collaborative' one for fostering the country's development process, experts opined at a seminar in the capital on Sunday. "The nature of cooperation between the government and the NGOs in our country is what a famous Harvard scholar termed in the 1990s as an 'antagonistic' one", eminent economist Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud said at a panel discussion. "However, there are ample scopes of making this cooperation a fruitful one," he said. Leading non-government organisation (NGO) BRAC organised the panel discussion on 'NGO and Development' on the occasion of the BRAC Day. Experts at the seminar observed that collaboration between the government and the NGOs is especially critical in the context of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) regime. "The government should convene a detailed discussion with the NGOs, so that the activities to achieve the SDGs can be done in a collaborative way rather than in a contested way," said another eminent economist Professor Rehman Sobhan, who was the chief guest of the seminar. Speakers at the event observed that the NGOs have played a leading role in reduction of infant mortality, increase in female literacy and greater uptake of birth control methods in the country. "Bangladesh has made great strides in the parameters of health and education compared to many other countries thanks to the NGOs, and that has been done without creating any rich poor divide," Professor Mahmud also said. Identifying the next generation agenda for BRAC, Professor Sobhan stressed on leveraging its large countrywide network for ensuring qualitative education. "BRAC deals with economic condition of the poor people, on an individual basis. But individual is a weak entity in Bangladesh, who is captive to various financial and market forces." He cited the example of Indian dairy giant Amul, and opined that it can be a model for BRAC.  "Amul is a corporate entity, which, in the end, is owned by its two million clients from rural India," Professor Sobhan noted. Chief SDG Coordinator of PMO Abul Kalam Azad in his speech said the government and the NGOs need to be on the same page for achievement of the SDGs. Citing various surveys, it was noted in the programme that almost half of the total rural households in the country remains excluded from the financial market despite huge expansion of micro-finance during the last two decades. "Future of the NGOs lies in their ability to use institutional capacity to link the poor with the market," said BRAC Director Professor Abdul Bayes in his keynote presentation. He also identified dwindling aid and grants, middle income syndrome, and getting adequate access to the government funds or projects as some of the major challenges for the NGOs. mehdi.finexpress@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-03-20 00:00:05

The government decided to funnel money into seven state-owned banks (SoBs) again to meet their capital shortage to some extent. Officials said a decision to this effect came Sunday from a meeting at the ministry of finance with Finance Minister AMA Muhith in the chair. State Minister for Finance M A Mannan, Bangladesh Bank governor Fazle Kabir, secretary of the banks and financial institutions division Eunusur Rahman and chief executives of the banks attended the meeting. However, the meeting did not take a concrete decision as to how much each of the banks will be fed against their total capital shortfall worth Tk 150 billion. Presently there is a Tk 20 billion budgetary allocation to replenish SoBs' capital and meet other needs. A decision will be taken next month in this regard, Mr Muhith told newsmen after the meeting. Meeting sources said apart from the capital shortage of banks, the provisioning shortfall, and their bond-issuance eligibility and capacity also came up for discussion. In the meeting BASIC bank managing director Khondoker Md Iqbal made a power-point presentation where he portrayed the necessity of floating Tk 26 billion worth of bond to meet capital shortfall. Sources said following the presentation the minister agreed that the problem-ridden bank is in real need of meeting the capital shortfall, as its overseas business is being hindered for being hard-up. The meeting decided that BASIC bank's capital shortfall will be met in one way or another -- either by issuing bonds or providing cash -- taking the bank as a special case, sources said, seeking anonymity. "The BASIC bank's problem is very different from others. We can't treat it like the other banks. It need's nursing," Mr Muhith said. He said BASIC has become a special institution. "We have to think how the BASIC's problem can be met. The ministry will take an initiative in consultation with BASIC's management in this regard." Replying to a query Mr Muhith refuted a remark made by many -- providing money to BASIC bank is similar to putting money in a hole. "No. It's not true," he said. "I can assure you that the money won't go down the drains," he said replying to another query. The finance minister in this case defended the present BASIC bank management, saying that they have done very well. When his attention was drawn regarding action against the former chairman of the bank, Mr Muhith said necessary documents were given to the Anti-Corruption Commission. "Wait and see, what happens." Data show until last December, Sonali Bank had a capital shortage of Tk 26 billion, Janatal Bank's shortage stood at Tk 6.64 billion, Agrani Bank Tk 2.0 billion, Rupali Bank Tk 10 billion, BASIC Bank Tk 22 billion, Bangladesh Krishi Bank Tk 74.85 billion, and Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank Tk 7.05 billion.   syful-islam@outlook.com....

Published at: 2017-03-20 00:00:05

Three people, including two policemen, were injured in an attack by terrorists during a drive at Majidpur under Savar Model Police Station in Dhaka on Sunday evening. Tipped off, a police team, led by sub-inspector Mehdi Hasan, conducted the drive around 7pm to arrest three members of terrorist outfit 'Samrat Khaja Bahini', said Nazmul Hasan, assistant superintendent of Savar circle, reports UNB. The gang members attacked the police and stabbed them while they were returning after arresting an accused 'Pichchi Khaja', leaving SI Mehdi, constable Sumon and police informant Aminul Isalm injured. The injured were admitted to Savar Enam Medical College Hospital.  ....

Published at: 2017-03-20 00:00:05