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Dhaka, Delhi can dominate any sub-regional, regional grouping: Srinivasan
Dhaka, Oct 14 (UNB) – With their relations now at a newer height, Bangladesh and India can dominate any sub-regional or regional grouping by continuing close coordination between the two countries, says an international relations analyst.
“Together we’re the giants in BBIN & Bimstec. We can dominate any sub-regional or regional grouping,” said former Indian Foreign Secretary and Ambassador Krishnan Srinivasan.
BBIN is a sub-regional cooperation among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal, while Bimstec stands for Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec).
Through close coordination in all fields, he said, Bangladesh and India can together transform the landscape of the two countries, South and Southeast Asia.
The expert said India will soon be the 5th largest global economy, and Bangladesh will beat India in achieving the middle-income status.
In his recent paper presented at Cosmos Dialogue, Srinivasan said the current developments between Bangladesh and India are referred to as a golden age.
“Golden ages have come and gone, but there definitely are positive achievements in recent years on trade, land and rail connections, power supply, investments, lines of credit, exchange of visits, cultural and educational ties," he said.
The former Indian foreign secretary said the issue of water sharing is naturally emotive in Bangladesh, a deltaic country afflicted by floods and droughts and mentioned that India is required to understand Bangladesh’s needs.
Bangladesh and India reiterated their commitment to further strengthen the bilateral relations on the basis of friendship, trust and understanding for the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries.
Considering the vision of Bangladesh to become a middle-income country by 2021 and a developed country by 2041, a senior official told UNB that the two countries agreed that a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in the coming days covering goods, services and investment would provide a sound basis for substantial enhancement of trade and commercial partnership.
Officials concerned of the two countries have already been directed to undertake a joint study on the prospects of entering into a bilateral CEPA, said the official.
Director of Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore C Raja Mohan, who also spoke at the Cosmos Dialogue, thinks Bangladesh requires defining the country’s interests keeping the ever-changing geopolitical and regional scenarios in considerations.
“The question is how you define your interests,” said the Indian scholar based in Singapore stressing that the two countries require building trust at all levels.
Raja Mohan said they are going to see the formation of new geography and one of the most critical elements is the rise of Bangladesh itself and transformation of its economy.
He said the growing economy of Bangladesh is going to have significant implications for South Asia.
Mohan said the change of geography around them will have at least five important consequences for bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India, including the argument of Bangladesh is India-locked. “In fact, Bangladesh can be a land bridge between India and China.”
Shedding light on politics, he said, “You’re free to elect whom you want. Today, in your country, you can elect any one. I’ve been advocating with India to deal with whoever is in the government. You can’t do the management of somebody else’s domestic politics.”
He thinks large countries have no choice but to deal with whoever is in power across the border and across the world.
“Sometimes it comes with problems, sometimes it comes with no problem. Democracy is not a gift that somebody else will give you,” Raja Mohan said adding, “Let’s be pragmatic.”
Diplomatic sources in New Delhi said India’s political parties and civil society members have good wishes for the current government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina but they want to see the people of Bangladesh to decide on it.
Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla, on many occasions, said the next national election is an internal matter of Bangladesh and India will not make any comment on that.
Clear definition of jihadi books needed before arrest: Experts
Dhaka, Oct 14 (UNB) – As law enforcers often arrest ‘suspected militants’ with books they call ‘jihadi’ ones, experts think such a title is ‘inappropriate and misleading’ whatever contents these books may have.
Srimukh, a village with only 5 residents in Sylhet needs a helping hand
Sylhet, Oct 13 (UNB) –Srimukh, a village under Khajanchi union in Bishwanath upazila, is probably the smallest village in the country where only a 5-member family has been living for long amid the absence of various basic facilities, including a road.
The village, enlisted in the government gazette, is located at Ward No 5 of the union and in the middle of Telikona and Paschim Noagaon villages with a single family living here since the mid-60s.
The current members of the isolated family include three women -- Rahima Begum, 35, Dilara Begum, Angura Begum, 43, and Sumaia, minor girl Akhter Tahina, 8, and Aftab Ali.
Ali, the only male member of the family, has been living in Saudi Arabia for 30 years to support the family.
While visiting the village recently, the UNB correspondent found that there is no road to enter the village and the lone family of the village has been struggling to survive for lack of various basic facilities.
The only tube-well at the village went out of order long ago and they have to drink water fetching it from neighbouring village. They have to drink contaminated pond water when they are unable to move out.
Rahima Begum, wife of Aftab Ali, said there is no path to get out of their house. As there is no road, they have to go out crossing the lands of others.
Streamlining Dhaka’s chaotic traffic possible: Experts
Dhaka, Oct 12 (UNB) - Strict enforcement of traffic rules and behavioural change of pedestrians and transport workers as well as proper planning and political commitment are essential to have a disciplined traffic system in this chaotic city of Dhaka, said experts.
They said though it looks a herculean task to restore discipline in the city streets, it is possible to do so through a vigorous media campaign and enforcing traffic rules alongside gearing up the decentralisation process.
Many countries in the world have turned their unlivable cities livable through innovative ideas and forcing people to abide by rules, the experts said.
Prof Moazzem Hossain of Civil Engineering department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) said eight components -- policy, planning, design, construction, maintenance, operation, enforcement and finally monitoring –- will have to be ensured to bring discipline in the traffic system.
Prof Moazzem, also Director of Buet Accident Research Institute (ARI), said it needs to monitor whether the seven other components are functioning properly.
Without adequate manpower, management, leadership, engineering, funding and planning, it is not possible to bring discipline in the streets changing the whole system, he said, adding: “It needs to implement all the eight components and for this, it requires organisational setup, manpower, political commitment and funding support.”
Besides, a footway network system will have to be developed alongside automating the traffic signal network, the road safety expert said.
Prof Moazzem underscored the need for bringing a radical change in the bus operation module. “Buses are plying the city streets under around 250 companies which is absurd. Globally, buses run under a single state-owned agency,” he said, adding that if all the buses run under a single company in the capital, the situation may improve.
Ashish Kumar Dey, general secretary of National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR), said many, including bikers, auto-rickshaw and tempo drivers, young political party activists and a major portion of pedestrians, do not follow traffic rules properly. “It’s a major obstacle to controlling the overall traffic management and reducing road crashes,” he said.
A continued awareness campaign and strict enforcement of traffic rules can bring discipline in the streets, Ashis said.
Alongside strict enforcement of law and tacking action against errant transport workers and pedestrians, a worker-friendly road transport policy will have to be ensured to bring down the number of road accidents and end anarchy in the sector, he added.
The NCPSRR leader said transport workers' lifestyle should be enhanced. “If their wages and other facilities are not increased, a sense of dissatisfaction and hopelessness prevails among them and many drivers become desperate to earn more, leading to repeated road accidents,” he said.
He also alleged that some influential labour leaders and political party leaders protect many drivers and helpers when they are sued by law enforcers, terming it another reason behind drivers being desperate on roads.
Shahidul Islam, general secretary of Dhaka Taxi-Taxi Car-Auto-rickshaw Drivers’ Union, said drivers are yet to receive any training and motivation from any quarter. “It would have surely helped reduce road crashes, had drivers been trained and motivated.”
A CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver has to give its owner Tk 1,600-1,700 as a daily deposit against the government-fixed Tk 600 while bus drivers run their vehicles on a target basis, he said, adding this makes the drivers reluctant to obey the traffic rules as they have to increase the number of trips to earn more. “If the government ensures that owners are not charging more, the tendency of violating traffic rules among drivers will come down sharply,” he said.
Shahidul also said although there is a Prime Minister’s directive to not run buses on contractual basis, it is yet to be implemented.
Meanwhile, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) observed a month-long traffic safety awareness campaign in September following widespread student protests triggered by the death of two college students on a city street in August.
During the campaign that ended on September 30, around 1.72 lakh cases were filed and around Tk 14 crore were realised as fine for traffic rules violation.
On the last day of the campaign, DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia said despite the sincerity of traffic police to bring discipline in the streets, their attempts are not yielding results due to people's tendency to violate traffic rules. “Though it’s not possible to change habits and behaviour in just one month, we’re hopeful that people will gradually abide by traffic rules,” he said.
“It cannot be expected that hundreds of years of practice or irregularity will change overnight. But we hope everyone will be respectful to the law,” he said, urging the city dwellers to cooperate with the police to enforce traffic rules.
Brahmmaputra excavation project raises hope among Jamalpur residents
Sherpur, Oct 12 (UNB) – The government’s recent move to excavate the Brahmapura River aiming to improve its navigability and reclaim its lost parts from the clutches of encroaches has raised hope among the residents of the district and others living in its vicinity.
DU admission, a tough battle for students
Dhaka, Oct 12 (UNB)- Getting enrolled at a renowned public university like Dhaka University (DU) is the most important and difficult challenge for any student of his or her entire life.
Upgradation of Thakurgaon Sugar Mills still a distant dream
Thakurgaon, Oct 11 (UNB) – The upgradation of Thakurgaon Sugar Mills still reamins a distant dream though five years have elapsed since the approval of the development project.
Thakurgaon govt poultry farm falters for ‘mismanagement’
Thakurgaon, Oct 9 (UNB) – Reported mismanagement and other irregularities in the government-run poultry farm in the district town have brought it to its knees, putting its existence at stake.
The farm was set up on a 3.17-acre land in front of Sadar Hospital here in 1982-83 fiscal year for ensuring the supply of chickens and poultry, aiming to meet the poultry demand of the people living in Thakurgaon, Panchagarh and Nilphamari districts.
Despite having prospects, the poultry farm could not play any effective role due to ‘mismanagement and negligence’ of its officials and employees, according to sources at the farm.
The farm has neither any regular manager nor has any essential machinery like incubator (a device for maintaining the eggs of birds or reptiles to allow them to hatch) and brooder house, some officials told UNB wishing anonymity.
Although Upazila Livestock Officer Dr Abdur Rahim has been in-charge of the farm as its manager, he hardly visits the farm.
More worrying is that medical wastes are dumped into the pond of the farm, contaminating its water as there is no one to monitor it.
Contacted, Dr Abdur Rahim told UNB that there are 14 posts, including that of manager and poultry development officer, in the farm.
Of the positions, he said, 12 have been lying vacant for a long time.
While visiting the farm, the UNB correspondent found that the farm is in very bad shape due to ‘mismanagement and negligence’ as the doors and windows of the building have broken down by the time. “The building is totally unfit for use,” said a staff of the farm preferring to remain unnamed.
The farm authorities said there are three shades in the farm for farming chicks, and one of those is totally empty.
As there is no any brooder house in the farm, they said, it is not possible to control its temperature for the proper growth of the chicks.
Locals alleged that the environment of the area is being polluted seriously as nearby hospitals and clinics are regularly dumping their medical wastes into the pond of the farm defying the repeated requests of the farm staff not to do so.
Dr Abdur Rahim said construction of new shades, renovation of its staff quarter, setting up an incubator, a brooder house and hatchery machines are necessary to revive the farm. “What’s more important is to fill the vacancies as soon as possible,” he insisted.
Foot Overbridges: Accessibility remains a sticking point
Dhaka, Oct 9 (UNB) - Patients, the physically-challenged, women, the elderly and children often fail to avail themselves of overbridges (or ‘footbridges’) to cross roads as the initial climb-up the flight of stairs -- often to a height of two storeys --leaves them severely depleted in terms of energy, besides being time-consuming.
While visiting different areas of capital Dhaka, the UNB correspondent came across a number of such people.
Infrastructure, manpower matter to tap Khulna’s tourism potentials
Khulna, Oct 7 (UNB) – Despite having huge prospects, the tourism industry in the district remained untapped due to the alleged apathy of the authorities concerned and lack of necessary infrastructures.