Dhaka, Sept 22 (UNB) – Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit chief Monirul Islam on Saturday warned that law enforcement agencies will go tough if any attempt is made to create anarchy centering the verdict in the grenade attack case to be delivered on October 10.

He made the remark while talking to reporters at a programme at Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh (CRAB) auditorium.

Citing cyber-crimes as a threat to the upcoming national election, Monirul Islam said the Digital Security Act will be helpful in preventing cyber-crimes.

Besides, he said, there is no intelligence report about any plan of acts of sabotage ahead of Durga Puja.

He, however, said the law enforcement agencies are active considering the global perspective and recent incidents.
 

Dhaka, Sept 20 (UNB) – Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has summoned eight Titas Gas officials including its managing director for investigating allegations of acquiring huge money through gas connections by meter-bypassing and tampering.

ACC deputy director (public relations) Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya told UNB that ACC investigation officer and deputy director Farid Ahmed Patwari signed notice has been sent to Petrobangla Chairman asking the eight Titas officials to appear before ACC on October 1 and 2.

Titas Gas managing director Mir Mashiur Rahman, deputy general manager SM Abdul Wadud and In-charge (Manager) of Gazipur Sabber Ahmed Chowdhury have been asked to be present at ACC headquarters on October 1.

Narayanganj regional office general manager Shafiqur Rahman, T & T department (Gazipur) manager Abu Bakar Siddiqur Rahman, Titas Gas manager Akheruzzaman, and manager of engineering services department Shahjada Faraji and assistant officer Abu Siddique Tayani will face ACC interrogation on October 2, the notice said.

Thought the ACC has been investigating the complaint since April 6, 2017, the latest development came on a day when a major national daily carried an elaborate report on Titas officials’ telltale graft practices. 
 

Dhaka, Sept 20 (UNB) – At least 12 people managed getting registration of Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) as MBBS degree holders without having that degree in the first place.  

In a drive Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday unearthed gross irregularities in the way BMDC is giving registration to fake MBBS degree holders. 
 
ACC Public Relations Officer Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya told UNB that the Commission conducted the drive after receiving the complaint in its hotline (106) against 12 so called doctors who took BMDC registration without the degree.

ACC director general (administration) Mohammad Munir Chowdhury ordered the immediate investigation and operation against the accused who took the BMDC registration on the basis of the fake degree in the name of Taishan Medical University of China.

A team led by deputy director Mohammad Mahmud Hasan immediately conducted a drive in the city’s office of BMDC to find out the truth.  

ACC primarily found that the accused did not get the degree from the Taishan Medical University in China.   

The BMDC officials present during the ACC drive failed to explain the irregularities. 

Regarding the operation, the DG of the Enforcement Operations (ACC) Mohammad Munir Chowdhury said, "BMDC can’t provide registration without proper verification. The ACC will immediately investigate the incident and identify the responsible people and take strict legal process."
 

Dhaka, Sept 20 (UNB) - Bangladesh needs to ensure safe food for its people by 2041 to achieve its goal of becoming a developed country, said Food Minister Quamrul Islam on Thursday.

Ensuring food safety is possible with raising awareness and everyone’s support, he said while speaking as the chief guest at a seminar titled ‘Drive against Food Adulteration: Institutional Crisis’.  

Desh Info and Watchdog Bangladesh jointly organised the seminar.

“Bangladesh is becoming a middle-income and developing country while we’re marching forward to become developed one by 2041. So, we’ve to ensure food safety in our country like other developing and developed countries,” said Quamrul Islam.

The minister also said the government will categorise restaurants in Motijheel areas based on their performance of safe and quality food production and supply.

"In the Motijheel areas, the Safe Food Authority is conducting research on 200 restaurants. The best food processors will be marked as the ‘Green’ one, the better one as ‘Yellow’ one and the bad one as the ‘Red’," he said.

The minister added that if any restaurant fails to maintain the standard of food it will be marked as ‘Red’ and the owner will be given one month’s time to improve its standard and if it fails to improve, the restaurant will be sealed off.  

Mentioning the existing Food Safety Act as complex one, the minister said Bangladesh will soon succeed in making the law completely effective. “To make the law effective, the most important thing is to create public awareness. Without creating public awareness, ensuring food safety, adulteration and pollution-free food is not possible.” 

The government is undertaking various training and awareness-building programmes for those involved in producing, manufacturing, packaging, preserving and serving food, said the minister.

He also said a huge number of people in the country depend on street foods and that is why safe street foods are also needed to be ensured.

Citing a 2004 study of World Health Organization (WHO), Rashed Chowdhury, Editor of the online web portal Desh Info, in his keynote paper said every year around 3 lakh people get affected by cancer only because of consuming adulterated food, while 1.50 lakh by diabetes and around 2 lakh kidney diseases.

Around 15 lakh physically-challenged children are born as a result of food adulteration, he added.

While a total of 18 ministries and agencies of the government are working to ensure food safety, these organisations should be made accountable alongside increasing their efficiency, Rashed Chowdhury added.

Chairman of Poribesh Banchao Andolon (Poba) Abu Naser Khan urged the government to make the reports public after testing food products and prevent the use of harmful materials and pesticides during food manufacturing.

Prof Khaleda Islam of Dhaka University’s Institute of Nutrition and Food Science (INFS), Chairman of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority Mohammad Mahfuzul Hoque and Assistant Director of BSTI Reazul Haque, among others, spoke at the programme.

Dhaka, Sep 20 (UNB) – National Child Advocacy Forum on Thursday handed over draft of a proposed law on preventing sexual harassment to Deputy Speaker Md Fazle Rabbi Miah.

The forum, a platform of child rights organisations, proposed for formulation of a law titled ‘Sexual Harassment Prevention and Protection Bill- 2018’ and prepared a draft of it in cooperation with the Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights and Girls Advocacy Alliance of PLAN Bangladesh.

At a programme held at IPD Auditorium of Jatiya Sangsad Bhavan today the forum presented the draft’s copy to the deputy speaker with an expectation that a bill would be piloted in the parliament soon as a private member’s bill. 

After receiving the draft, the deputy speaker advised Navana Aktar, a parliament member present in the programme, to place the bill to the parliament as a private member’s bill immediately and she took the responsibility.

The draft took into cognizance the issues of any kind of sexual harassment in public places as crime and prescribed to punish the offenders in it.

In the description of sexual harassment in public place, the draft said any kind of physical approach and expression which are sexually indicative, offering to make unethical relation using professional or institutional power, making any write-up, cartoon or massage in public places to offend anyone sexually, harassment through digital media and making or preserving any digital content to assault or threat anyone will be considered as crime.  

The draft also proposed to create a five members’ complaint committee in every private and public institution within 90 working days after passing of the bill to take care of these kinds of issues.

According to it, the victims can complain in the complaint committee of their institutions as well as in police stations or magistrate courts.

It asked the government to establish at least two sexual harassment prevention courts in each metropolitan city and one for each divisional city.

Depending on the intensity of the offence, the draft proposed different ranges of punishment from verbal warning to jail and fine.

Fazle Rabbi Miah said “In November 20, 2017, at a programme of the Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights on sexual harassment, I advised the National Child Advocacy Forum to make a draft of a sexual harassment bill and today they made it and are handing over it to me.”

He also said the sexual harassment in public place became a big problem now and if the country has a separate law regarding it, it will help to ensure a safe public environment for the women and children.

“I will try from my level and cooperate MP Navana in this regard”, he assured.

In the programme, at least 15 Members of Parliament (MPs) attended along with the other NGO activists.