Dhaka, Mar 19 (UNB) - Chairman of National Board of Revenue (NBR) Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan on Tuesday laid emphasis on signing the Istanbul Convention on ATA Carnet to facilitate international trade.

He said this while speaking as the chief guest at a daylong workshop on ATA Carnet System organised jointly by International Chamber of Commerce-Bangladesh (ICCB) and National Board of Revenue (NBR) at a hotel in the capital.

Mosharraf also said Bangladesh is an active party to various regional forums like BIMSTEC, BBIN MVA, SASEC etc. There are numbers of agreements and treaties where Bangladesh is a signatory like SAPTA, APTA, River protocol with India and Bhutan, Transit Agreement with India, Nepal and Bhutan.

“It’s very important for Bangladesh to introduce the ATA Carnet System to make best utilisation of those forums, agreements and treaties. This system will open a new door for the international buyers and traders to import temporarily samples for exhibitions, trade fair and many other purposes in an easy and trade-friendly way without paying duties and taxes,” he said.

He suggested that ICC Bangladesh keep close contact with NBR for pursuing government to sign the latest Istanbul Convention on ATA Carnet.

ICC Bangladesh President Mahbubur Rahman said it is utmost important for Bangladesh to introduce ATA Carnet System to improve Ease of Doing Business ranking.

“To promote trade and investment and achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it’s essential to integrate with the trade promotional instrument like ATA Carnet and other global facilitates without any further delay,” he also said.

Around 50 participants from different ministries and departments of government and representatives from business associations attended the programme.
 

Dhaka, Mar 19 (UNB)— At least nine people were killed in separate road accidents in Dhaka, Rangpur, Sylhet, Pabna, Manikganj and Chuadanga on Tuesday.

In Sylhet, a woman and her son were killed in a head-on collision between a truck and an auto-rickshaw on Salutikar-Goainghat road at Satigram village in Goainghat upazila.

The deceased were identified as Ilora Parvin, 38, wife of Soja Ahmed, a Bangladesh Army sergeant, and their son Sajid Mia, 6. They were killed on their way to Jaflong.

Goainghat Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Jalil said the mother and her son were killed on the spot. Two others were also injured.
 
In Rangur, three people were killed in a road accident on Rangpur-Bogura Highway in Pirganj upazila.

Officer-in-Charge of Pirganj Police Station Swadesh Chandra said a covered-van hit a road divider and fell on a Thakurgaon-bound bus around 4am. The covered-van driver’s assistant and two bus passengers were killed on the spot. 

The identities of the deceased could not be known yet.

In Manikganj, an unidentified man, aged around 45, was killed after a truck ran over him on Dhaka-Aricha Highway in Shibaloy upazila’s Falshatia area.

The body was sent to Manikganj Sadar Hospital for autopsy, said Yamin-Ud-Doula, in-charge of Bangail police outpost.

In Pabna, Amirul Islam, son of Amzad Hossain of Naraikhali village in Chatmohor upazila, was killed after two human haulers collided on Tebunia-Chatmohar road at Bhabanipur village in Chatmohar upazila.

In Chuadanga, a teenager sustained severe injuries after a pickup van hit him on Chuadanga-Meherpur road in Sadar upazila’s Hatikata area.

Raju Ahmed, 17, son of Dablu Hossain, was rushed to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, said Deloar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Chuadanga Sadar Police Station.

In Dhaka, Abrar Ahmed Chowdhury, a student of Bangladesh University of Professionals, was killed when a bus of ‘Suprovat Paribahan’ ran over him in front of Bashundhara gate on Pragati Sarani area around 7:15am.

Students of different private universities blocked the road in front of Jamuna Future Park, halting the traffic movement from Kuril Bishwaroad to Bhatara.
 

Dhaka, Mar 19 (UNB)— Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on Tuesday urged all officials and workers of 13 institutions under Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) to work hard and make the institutions profitable.

“Every employee must work honestly and cordially,” he said at a reception at BCIC auditorium in the capital.

“All of us have to come forward for making the industrial factories profitable. Once they are profitable, the temporary employees will be made permanent,” he said.

The minister said everyone has to work together for development.

State Minister Kamal Ahmed Mojumder told the employees that they must work honestly to develop the country.

“The trade unions must work for the welfare of the institutions and workers,” he said. “If you have any demand, talk to your supervisors instead of demonstrating.”

Industries Secretary Md Abdul Halim said: “It is said that the 4th revolution will be jobless growth. But we believe our development will not be jobless. Rather more jobs will be created. The Industries Ministry needs to play an important role. All of us should act responsibly from our respective sectors.”

BCIC Chairman Md Haiul Kuaium said he was confident that they can make the institutions profitable if they get proper gas connection.

Earlier, a delegation of West Bengal’s Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industries met Minister Majid and State Minister Mojumder. They discussed various bilateral issues and urged them to attend India International Mega Trade Fair-2019.

Dhaka, Mar 19 (UNB) – The bodies of the seven victims of Monday’s gun attack on a motorcade of election officials and law enforcers in Baghaichhari upazila of Rangamati were handed over to their families on Tuesday.

Family members received the bodies in the afternoon after their postmortems at Khagrachhari Modern Hospital, said officer-in-charge (investigation) of Baghaichhari Police Station Jahangir Alam.

The victims are M Amir Hossain, assistant presiding officer of a polling centre at Kanglak under Sajek and a teacher of Kachalong Girls’ School, Abu Tayeb, 40, a teacher and a polling officer, Ansar VDP members Jahanara Begum, 40, wife of Tafsil Ahmed of Kachalong Bazar, Mihir Kanti Dutta, 40, son of Sadhu Basak of Karoshtali, Bilkis Akther, 50, daughter of Nur Ali of Paillagona, M Al Amin, 25, son of Selim of Sarikkha, and vehicle helper Mantu Chakma, 25.

Meanwhile, a seven-member probe body has been formed with Local Government Division Director Dipak Chakraborty as its head to look into the gun attack, said Deputy Commissioner of Rangamati AKM Mamunur Rashid.

He said Chattogram Divisional Commissioner Abdul Mannan constituted the investigation committee on Tuesday night.

The other members of the probe panel are Additional District Magistrate Nazrul Islam and representatives of Chattogram Range deputy inspector general of police, Border Guard Bangladesh, district police, Chattogram Hill Tracts Development Board and Rangamati District Council. 
 
The probe body was asked to submit its report within 10 days, the DC added.

On Monday, seven people were killed and a presiding officer among 24 was injured in the gun attack on the motorcade of the election officials and law enforcers when they were returning from three centres in Sajek after voting in the 2nd phase upazila election.

Terrorists opened fire on the last vehicle of the convoy from a hill, leaving six people dead on the spot.

Seven of the injured were brought to the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka from Chattogram CMH on Tuesday where a total of 17 were admitted on Monday.

Besides, seven more injured were receiving treatment at Baghaichhari upazila health Complex.

Meanwhile, joint forces have launched a drive in the hilly region following the gun attack.

Bangladesh Army’s Khagrachhari regional commander Brig Gen M Hamidul Islam who visited the spot on Tuesday said law enforcers launched the joint drive soon after the attack. However, they were yet to make any arrest.

He said no one will be spared over the gun attack.

Parbatya Bangali Chhatra Parishad called a daylong hartal in Khagrachhari district for Wednesday protesting the killings of the seven people and Bilaichhari upazila Awami League president Suresh Kanti Tongchanga.

It was announced in a press release signed by parishad’s acting general secretary M Rabiul Islam.

The dawn-to-dusk shutdown is also meant for demanding the removal of female MP Basanti Chakma.

Suresh Kanti was gunned down by some miscreants at Farua in the upazila of Rangamati on Tuesday morning.
 

Dhaka, Mar 19 (UNB) - A court here on Tuesday granted bail to Mahfuza Akhter Kiron, chairman of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) Women’s Football Committee, until April 2 in a case filed for making ‘derogatory remarks’ on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sorafuzzaman Ansari passed the order on a bond of Tk 10,000.

On Saturday, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Sufian Md Noman sent Kiron to jail when police produced her before his court, rejecting her bail plea.

Kiron, also a member of BFF executive committee and FIFA council, was arrested from Dhanmondi in the defamation case filed by sports organiser Abu Hasan Chowdhury Prince, said sub-inspector of Motijheel Police Station.

Prince, a member of Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting Club and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, filed the case with Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Tuesday when the court issued a warrant for Kiron’s arrest. 
   
At a press conference at the BFF House on March 8, Kiron reportedly made disparaging comments about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.