Eminent citizens
21 citizens demand accountability in dredging, improved service on riverways
Twenty one citizens of different professions have demanded to increase the service quality in inland water transport sector and an end to various types of harassment to vessel owners.
They also demanded to ensure transparency and accountability in the dredging of rivers and regular removal of silt.
They made these demands in a joint statement sent to the media on Monday.
The statement alleged that the owners were being harassed to get annual survey (fitness), route permit and timetable of passenger vessels. Due to these reasons, the launch owners have been complaining that unnecessary money is being spent at various stages. Apart from this, the security system and passenger service quality at different river port terminals and launch ghats are not satisfactory. Due to these reasons, passengers on the waterways have started to decrease, the statement said.
Citizens complain that several mega projects have been undertaken by the direction of prime minister to dig the big rivers to restore the disappeared waterways. But in most cases the desired success has not been achieved.
According to the statement, on October 2, 2018, the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the project of 'Navigability Development and Restoration of the Old Brahmaputra, Dharla, Tulai and Punarbhaba Rivers' at a cost of Tk 4,371 crore.
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Although the work of the project started on schedule, no progress has been made as expected even after almost four years.
The civic group also complained that regular dredging (removal of sediment) in navigable preservation of waterways lacks transparency and accountability.
They said that due to the navigability crisis, the movement of large ships carrying passengers and goods is being disrupted on important waterways including Dhaka-Barisal. As a result, many launch and cargo ship owners are thinking of shutting down their business due to anger and frustration.
In the statement, 21 citizens have strongly demanded that information on river dredging and silt removal should be regularly published in the media, along with increasing the quality of services to solve the existing crisis.
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The signatories of the statement are- Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB) vice-president SM Najer Hossain, prominent children organizer and freedom fighter Nurur Rahman Selim, chief executive of Nagorik Uddog Zakir Hossain, general secretary of Udichi Shilpi Gosthi Amit Ranjan Dey, executive president of Green Club of Bangladesh (GCB) Haji Mohammad Shahid Mia, General Secretary of National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways Ashis Kumar Dey, member secretary of Safe Waterway Implementation Movement Aminur Rasul Babul, Coordinator of Sundarbans and Coastal Protection Movement Nikhil Chandra Bhadra, marine engineer Md. Abdul Hamid, Vice President of Dhaka Union of Journalist Maniklal Ghosh, Executive Director of Dip Unnoyan Sangstha and freedom fighter Rafiqul Alam, Convener of Sachetan Nagorik Samaj Shakila Parveen, Executive Director of Poverty Emulation Assistance Center for Everywhere (PEACE) Ifma Hussain, President of Alokit Garments Workers Federation Bappidev Barman, Bangladesh Hawkers Union General Secretary Shekender Hayat, Poet and Children's Organizer Rajan Bhattacharya, Central Coordinator Janalok Rafiqul Islam Sujon, Joint Secretary of Dhaka North Nagorik Forum Mustafa Kamal Akand, Mukti Shikha convener Zihad Arif and old Dhaka Nagorik Uddog president Nazim Uddin.
Directive to restrict use of ‘Indigenous’ unconstitutional
Fifty eminent citizens of the country in a joint statement have said that the Information Ministry’s restriction to use the word ‘Indigenous’ is unconstitutional and tantamount to contempt of the court.
“The Information Ministry has sent a circular to all the television channel owners saying that they’ll have to broadcast the restriction on using the word ‘Indigenous’ to prevent those who’ll take part in programs commemorating the International Day of The World’s Indigenous Peoples on August 9 from using the word. We find the restriction self-contradictory as the government which has imposed the restriction had used the word ‘Indigenous’ more than once in its election manifesto in 2008,” read the statement.
The statement added that in the country’s constitution, it has been stated that if any question arises over any subject mentioned in the constitution, it’s the Supreme Court which has the only jurisdiction to provide explanation on that issue, not any other institution. The Supreme Court itself had said in one of its verdicts that there is no constitutional bindings on using the word ‘Indigenous’, which goes against the restriction put out by the Information Ministry.
“The ILO convention 107 was signed by Father of The Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman-led government in 1972, where the word ‘Indigenous’ was not only used but the rights of all the indigenous people of the country were also recognized. In 2009, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had also emphasized on protecting the rights and dignity of the indigenous people in a speech,” adds the statement.
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The statement also says that the restriction by the Information Ministry also denied section 39 of the country’s constitution, which ensures the right to speech and the right of media.
“We strongly condemn the restriction by the Information Ministry. We urge the concerned authorities to refrain from issuing such misleading directives that disrespect the eminent citizens, journalists and intellectuals of the country. We demand for the removal of the circular immediately,” the statement concluded.
Sultana Kamal, a well-known rights activist, Khushi Kabir, Coordinator of Nijera Kori, Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, Trustee of Gonoshasthya Kendra and Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), among others, signed the statement.
Eminent citizens protest closure of state-owned jute mills
A total of 159 eminent citizens on Tuesday demanded immediate reversal of the decision to close down all the mills under the state-owned Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC)in the face of unremitting losses.