2 customs officials suspended for taking kickbacks
Taxmen under surveillance
UNB, DHAKA
Having caught two customs officials in the act of negotiating
kickbacks, central revenue intelligence has started a drive to figure out such cases of
other tax-watchdogs under suspicion, official sources said.
It is for the first time in National Board of Revenue (NBR) history
that bribery of two officials of its own got caught in a mousetrap laid by its
intelligence outfit, they claimed.
The two officials--Superintendent Jahed Hossain and Inspector Nazrul
Islam--were suspended on December 15.
"The NBR Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) tapped their phone
conversations with their clients and caught them red-handed," said one official,
adding that it is part of a move of the revenue authority to set its own house in order
before chasing the tax-dodgers.
As it showed the tip of the iceberg, the NBR authorities directed the
CIC to go for more investigation against those officials who have "reputation
crisis".
Recently, the CIC examined some NBR officials and figured out that many
of them have got wealth that is unusual for them. "We detected that many NBR
officials got no more than Tk 2 lakh a year, but their lifestyle manifest in the glare of
house, internal decoration of the house, education for the children is so much expensive
that must not be covered with that salary," said a CIC official.
"We, at the initial stages, examined the income and expenditure of
the linemen, meter reader of the WASA, BTTB and such other government service
sectors… but now the NBR decided to purify itself," he said.
He observed that if the NBR could be made a safe place for the
taxpayers, VAT and customs duty payers, without having to face any hindrance, then the
revenue collection of the country would get a tremendous boost.
For detecting this kind of bribery and illegal source of income of the
NBR officials and other persons, the CIC has already procured modern and sophisticated
equipment like micro-voice recorder, different types of spy cameras and other related
equipment.
"But we are facing problems from our colleagues in eradicating
tax-dodging and corruption from the NBR," he said.
The intelligence cell contributed more than Tk 1100 crore to the
revenue through detecting tax evasion and realising the tax so far this year (2005).
According to the sources, the CIC this year detected tax evasion to the
tune of Tk 1000 crore of different businesses, including garment-industry owners,
professionals like doctors, lawyers, engineers, service-holders, private security
agencies, shipping agents, C&F agents and marriage bureaus. The tax spies deposited Tk
100 crore with government exchequer.
CIC sources confirmed that with their hectic initiatives a bigwig
cell-phone company of the country had to pay their due taxes amounting no less than Tk 30
crore although the company has some disputes regarding the amount of the taxes.
"Couple of days back, the cell-phone company paid Tk 7 crore in
this regard for using the fiber optics of the Railway," said another official of the
cell.
Pointing out some hindrances to detection of the tax evasion, he said,
"If we can get the actual data from the banks, it would be very much easier for us to
detect tax eviction."
He alleged that many times the delinquents negotiated with the bank
officials for not divulging their account information.
The CIC has already got data from the banks that have online banking or
computerised banking. "But many branches of the state-run banks and small banks could
not provide us with data about their account-holders yet," he said.
"When we need some information about a person, these branches of
the banks could not provide us in right time," he said.
For that reason the CIC on its own initiative is building a databank of
various persons for quick find about a particular person.
When contacted, Joint Director General of the CIC M Anwar Hossain told
UNB reporter Fahad Ferdous that they were now well organised and managed.
"We are equipped with modern instruments and so many information,
database and we are able to trace any kind of tax evasion," he said.
Meanwhile, after the huge success of its Central Intelligence Cell
(CIC) in Dhaka, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) is now thinking of expanding the cell
in other important areas of the country.
As part of its expansion programme, the NBR is likely to set up a CIC
branch in Chittagong, the gateway of import and export of the country, within a short time
to check tax evasion as well as corruption by the customs officials.
According to NBR sources, a proposal from the CIC has already been sent
to the NBR chairman for opening a branch in Chittagong.
The chairman expressed a positive attitude about the new branch, said
an NBR source. "But the time of opening the branch could not be fixed yet as the
chairman has not issued any official order to the CIC."
Mobile court’s bid to seize illegal power-crushers in Kushtia
3 killed, 30 injured in police firing
UNB, KUSHTIA
Dec 28: Three people, including a schoolboy, were reported killed and
20 others injured by bullets as police fired to quell violent villagers amid a fierce
clash at Bhurkapara in Daulatpur upazila Wednesday.
Witnesses and hospital sources said that a total of 30 people—20
villagers, nine policemen and one magistrate--were wounded in the fighting over the
seizure of unauthorised power-crushers operated in sugar-mill zone.
"All the 20 locals wounded in the encounter suffered either rifle
or rubber bullets," says a spot account of the incident.
The deceased were identified as class-IX student Ratan, son of Bhogol
Mondol, and farmers Azam, 32, and Mizanur Rahman, 25.
According to the sources, the 20 local people, including a girl, were
injured in police firing while nine cops and a magistrate injured by brickbats hurled by
the villagers.
Police and witnesses said the clash ensued at about 1pm when a mobile
court went to seize the power-crushers, being "illegally operated" in the
Kushtia Sugar Mill zone to produce molasses.
Being intercepted by the villagers of the zone for last few days, the
mobile court, led by first-class magistrate Abdul Aziz and backed up by two platoons of
armed police, today raided the area.
Villagers said the sugarcane growers and locals who use the
power-crushers "became agitated and swooped on the magistrate and police with lethal
weapons after the team seized two crushers".
Magistrate Abdul Aziz and SI Nurul Islam of Daulatpur thana sustained
injuries when they tried to calm the angry mob. "But the situation went out of
control at one stage."
The area turned into a veritable "battlefield" as police
fired 37 shots from rifle, over 50 shots from shotgun and 15 teargas shells. Ratan and
Azam were killed on the spot while Mizan died from his bullet wounds at hospital.
Of the injured, Jesmine, 11, daughter of Zindar Ali, Mizan Boyati,25,
Giash,18, Kabil, 35, Qashem,38, Aminul,22, and truck driver of the sugar mill Abdul
Quddus,39, were admitted to Kushtia General Hospital while the others to local clinics.
Condition of Jesmin is "critical", hospital sources said.
Injured magistrate Abdul Aziz, SI Nurul Islam, constables Golam Kibria,
Mostafa, Shamim, Mahmududl, Shafiqul, Moshiur and Fazlu were first admitted to upazila
health complex. Later they were shifted to the General Hospital.
The unruly villagers also damaged the jeep carrying the magistrate and
a truck of the sugar mill.
Additional three platoons of riot police, led by the Additional Police
Super, were deployed in the violence-ravaged area to bring the situation under control.
DC Jamal A Naser Chowdhury and SP Masud ul Hasan visited the scene.
The mobile court started seizing power-crushers in Kushtia Sugar Mill
zone from October. The court, so far, has seized 41 crushers, filed 72 cases and arrested
two people.
Members of the mobile court and villagers had locked into clashes on
various occasions during the raids.
Farmers operate crushing machines to make molasses as it is more
profitable than selling sugarcane to the state-owned sugar mills in the country.
EC to go ahead with fresh voter list making from Jan 1
CEC adamant to do the job, despite in-house opposition
DURJOY ROY
Though the High Court is yet to settle whether the Election Commission
(EC) will prepare a fresh voter list or an updated one, the EC is going to start its work
for preparing a fresh voter list from the first day of the New Year 2006.
Earlier, two cases were filed in High Court (HC) against the
‘unilateral decision’ of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) for preparing a
fresh voter list and the High Court served a show cause notice on the EC saying why the
‘unilateral decision’ of the CEC would not be declared illegal.
It is worth mentioning here that the two Election Commissioners at the
latest meeting of the Commission on August 7 did not agree with the opinion of the CEC for
preparing a fresh voter list. They wrote comments on the meeting resolution that the
Commission should follow Election Act 1982 in this regard.
The Act does not allow preparing a fresh voter list and it needs
amendment to the Act to prepare a fresh voter roll. But the CEC, the head of the Election
Commission, stuck to his stance and ordered the Commission to take steps to prepare a
fresh voter list.
Sources at the Election Commission said the High Court following a
prayer of the EC adjourned the hearing till January 2 in the coming year. But the EC in
spite of waiting for the decision of the court has completed all the related activities
for starting work for preparing the voter list from January 1 which it announced about two
months ago. The Commission has also directed all its district offices to complete at least
half of the total works of collecting information of the voters on that day.
EC insiders said collecting information of half of the voters of the
country in a day is an impossible task and it will lead to a lot of errors and might
exclude the names of many voters.
EC sources said the Commission has given this directive with an
ulterior motive as the court order is likely to come on January 2 on the ‘unilateral
decision’ of the CEC for preparing a fresh voter list. The CEC will try to make the
court realise that his office has done half of the total work for preparing a fresh voter
list, so any order contrary to preparing a fresh voter roll may create a hazardous
situation in the process of preparing a voter roll, EC sources said.
The Election Commission has already completed printing of voters’
information collection forms as well as training of information collectors, supervisors
and assistant registration officers. From January 1 the workers will go from door to door
to collect information of the voters.
EC insiders have brought allegations of misuse of the budget earmarked
for preparing the voter list. For the last voter list prepared in 2000, Taka 56 crore 11
lakh 79 thousand and 880 was spent for the payment of the field level staff. But this time
Taka 75 crore has been allotted for the same number of people assigned in 2000. Printing
cost in 2000 was Tk 22 crore, but this time it is Tk 27 crore.
The Election Commission has adopted a budget of Taka 146 crore 29 lakh
97 thousand and 150 for preparing the fresh voter list, although the expenditure for
preparing the voter list in 2000 was less than Taka 100 crore. The government in the first
phase has granted Taka 60 crore, which the EC has already spent for voter roll preparation
related activities.
EC insiders alleged that due to the enthusiasm of some high officials
at the Commission, the CEC was influenced in preparing a fresh voter list although at the
beginning the CEC several times said that the existing law should be amended to prepare a
fresh voter list.
New Year’s revelry to be checked sternly
Police, RAB personnel rewarded
STAFF REPORTER
The law enforcing agencies have been asked to beef up strict vigilance
in the capital on the eve of the 31st night to avoid any untoward situation.
All the Superintendents of Police (SPs) have been asked to prepare charge sheets in the
cases filed against Islamic militants for carrying out bombings across the country as
there should not be any wastage of time in preparing the charge sheets.
The Home Ministry rewarded some 17 officials of RAB and police for
their performance in improving law order and arresting some top JMB leaders and recovering
a huge volume of arms and explosives, Home Ministry sources said.
The decisions were taken at a meeting held yesterday at the conference
room of Home Ministry with its State Minister Lutfozzaman Babar in the chair. The meeting
was also attended by Home Secretary Safar Raj Hossain, IGP Abdul Qaiyum, DG of RAB Abdul
Aziz Sarkar, DMP Commissioner SM Mizanur Rahman and DGs of BDR and Ansar.
Different law enforcing agencies including RAB and highway police would
patrol the streets in the capital and not to allow anyone in the street to get drunk on
the 31st night. A huge contingent of RAB, police and other agencies would be deployed to
keep the situation under control.
The Home Ministry, earlier, decided to close all the bars in the
capital and elsewhere in the country during the New Year’s celebration.
Different law enforcing agencies including RAB and police have
conducted special drives at different slum areas, hotels and other places to prevent
storage of alcoholic substances and drugs ahead of the 31st December.
Besides, several mobile teams of doctor would also be deployed at
different strategic points including Dhaka University campus, Dhanmondi and Gulshan areas
for testing people whether anybody comes out on the street drunken.
The meeting also has taken some measures for holding the Eid-ul-Azha
smoothly.
Different law enforcing agencies including RAB and highway police have
been asked to keep strict vigilance on the streets so that cattle traders are not harassed
by the extortionists on way to Dhaka, meeting sources said.
RAB and police would be deployed at all bus terminals, train and launch stations so that
they cannot carry extra passengers and collect extra charge from the passengers.
Meanwhile, the Home Ministry rewarded some 17 officials of RAB and
police for their performance in improving law and order across the country and arresting
military chief of the banned JMB Ataur Rahman Sunny and younger brother of JMB chief
Shaikh Abdur Rahman, Mufti Hannan, and recovering a huge quantity of arms and explosives
along with Jihadi books and others documents, sources said .
The officials who got the Home Ministry rewards are Md Shahidul Islam,
DC (DB) of DMP, Md Atiqul Islam, Police Super of Gazipur district, Mallik Fakhrul Islam,
Police Super (PS) of Kishoreganj district, Mirza Abdullah Hel Baki, PS of Tangail,
Khandoker Golam Faruk, PS of Thakurgaon, Sheikh Nazmul Alam, Assistant Police Super of
Panchagar, Zahedur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tanara Thana of Rajshahi district,
Shoeb Ahmed, PS of Nilphamari, Nesaruddin, OC of Kumarkhali Thana in Kushtia district,
Lieutenant Colonel Gulzar, Major Zafrul Huq, Major Javed Hasan, Captain Md Sharif Raihan,
PPM, Major Faruque, Major Atique, Captain ASM Naser and ASP Tofail of RAB.
Emerging from the meeting, Lutfozzaman Babar told newsmen that the
performances of the law enforcers are better this year and the rate of criminal activities
was less than the previous years.
DAP fertiliser production to start from March
UNB, DHAKA
Production of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertiliser is going to start
in the country for the first time from March next, as demand for the farming input remains
insatiate.
Work on DAP-1 and DAP-2 projects established in Chittagong aiming to
produce the fertiliser is nearing completion. "Production on experimental basis will
begin in March while commercial production in June," an official announcement said
yesterday (Wednesday).
A review meeting on progress of the projects under ADP 2005-2006 fiscal
year was apprised of the lasted work position--at a time when importers of the fertiliser
created a crisis.
Industries Minister Motiur Rahman Nizami presided over the meeting,
which stressed creating awareness among farmers on the use of DAP fertiliser and suggested
the committee consisting the project officials of Agricultural Information Service and
BCIC to strengthen publicity on the DAP.
While addressing the meeting Industries Minister Mortiur Rahman Nizami
asked the officials of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation to give advertisement of
DAP fertiliser in magazines and on website to create the market of Bangladeshi DAP
fertiliser in the world.
The meeting was also informed that to ensure the use of iodised salt it
was included in the current anti-adulteration drive. And 135 mobile courts seized 31 mts
of non-iodised salt and realised Tk 2.43 lakh in fines from 298 shops in 42 districts from
July to November.
He asked the officials concerned to be more active and determined to
finish the work within the stipulated time.
Industries Secretary Md Nurul Amin, chiefs of various corporations and
organisations under Industries Ministry, high officials of the ministry and concerned
project directors were present.
50 injured as traders, police clash in Sylhet
UNB, SYLHET
Dec 28: At least 50 people were injured in a series of clashes between
police and traders in the city’s court point and Zindabazar area today (Wednesday).
Sources said, the clash ensued at about 1 pm when police obstructed a
procession brought out by some local traders under the banner of Sylhet Babshawi Kallyan
Parished demanding halt to the month-long Handloom Textile fair at the ground of
Government Alia Madrassa.
None was arrested in this connection.
Delhi-Dhaka direct talks can resolve problems, says Indian
HC
BDNEWS, DHAKA
Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Veena Sikri has said only an honest
dialogue can bring about understanding and resolution of the problems plaguing bilateral
relations between the two next door neighbours.
In an interview with the Rediff India Abroad, Veena said whatever
issues are there, they should be solved in the same spirit of understanding and goodwill.
"For that you have to have an active, uninterrupted dialogue, and to do it directly,
not through the media," she said.
The Indian High Commissioner said an adverse trade balance between the
two countries is not an issue in itself.
"It is perhaps leading to a problem, but it is not really a
problem in itself. We understand their (Bangladesh) concerns, and we have very sincerely
offered to talk to Bangladesh about it. We would appreciate if those talks take place. But
to politicise this issue, to mark it as a concern, in fact makes it even more difficult to
solve it," Veena said.
She said the proposed bilateral FTA by India would encourage further
Indian investment in Bangladesh. "But whether we discuss this bilateral FTA or not,
in order for Bangladesh to get access to Indian markets, we need to have a 'rules of
origin' agreement. We also need to harmonise our codes and standardise our classifications
and so on."
"So all these are technical matters, which need to be worked out
through a very intensive trade dialogue with Bangladesh. And we would very much like to do
that, she said.
Asked about the export of Bangladesh gas, she said, "We have
always been ready and willing to discuss the import of Bangladesh gas to India, but the
issue has become very politicised here. So, that issue is not on the table at the
moment."
Bangladesh's adverse trade imbalance with China is almost as huge, and
some fear that it's even more than that with India, she said adding that Bangladesh has a
similarly large positive trade balance with the US. "So the US has a similarly
adverse trade balance with Bangladesh."
The Indian envoy said that India has "actually given transit
facilities for Bangladesh's trade with Bhutan and Nepal."
"That trade does take place, though it's a very small figure at
the moment, and even the facilities we have given at the moment are substantially
under-utilised. Should this volume increase, requiring more Indian facilities, we will
look at it," she said.
Pry teachers pass 2nd day of hunger strike
STAFF REPORTER
Several hundred teachers of non-government primary school under the
banner of Bangladesh Non-government Primary School Teachers' Association have passed the
second consecutive day of their "fast unto death programme" yesterday demanding
nationalisation of their schools and jobs.
The teachers yesterday once again postponed their plan to lay siege to
the Prime Minister’s Office as per their schedule as they had been offered to hold a
negotiation with the government.
The association from a grand conference at the same venue on Monday
issued an ultimatum to the government of embracing death by fasting if their demand was
not fulfilled.
About 20 teachers wearing shrouds along with hundreds others began a
fast unto death programme at the Central Shaheed Minar in the city from Tuesday.
Khagrachhari Cantt Public School and College inaugurated
OUR CORRESPONDENT, KHAGRACHHARI
Khagrachhari Cantonment Public School and College has been formally
inaugurated at the Khagrachhari Cantonment area yesterday.
Chief of Army Lieutenant General Moin U Ahmed Psc inaugurated the
School as chief guest while Wadud Bhuiyan MP, Major General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, Nakkhatra
Lal Devbarman, chairman of Kharachhari Hill district council and Brigadier Sabbirul Karim
were present at opening programme.
The school was established at a cost of Tk 15 crore under Engineering
Corps of Army.
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