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Thursday, April 3, 2008

[chottala.com] Rice deal with Delhi signed: Dhaka to buy 4 lakh tonne rice at $430

Dhaka to buy 4 lakh tonne rice at $430; market prices go up further

Bangladesh yesterday signed an agreement with four Indian state-owned agencies on importing the remaining 4 lakh tonnes of rice out of the 5 lakh tonnes at $430 per tonne.

India had promised to export the rice to Bangladesh following cyclone Sidr last year. Of the rest 1 lakh tonne, 12,000 tonne has already been imported and 46,700 tonne is scheduled to arrive within April 10, a food ministry press release said.

Meanwhile, the price of rice is increasing across the country every day despite adequate supply and the government's safety net programmes like open market sale (OMS) and direct sale, intensifying sufferings of people belonging to the middle and lower classes.

The wholesale prices of rice of different varieties increased by Tk 10-30 per maund yesterday.

Local coarse rice was selling at Tk 1,250-1,300 per maund; its price was Tk 1,220-1,270 the previous day. The price of Indian Swarna also rose by Tk 10 per maund at wholesale markets.

The price of better quality Miniket soared to Tk 1,650-1,700 per maund yesterday from the previous day's Tk 1,620-1,650.

The coarse rice was selling at Tk 35-40 per kg at retail markets.

Wholesalers at Karwan Bazar, Mohammadpur Krishi Market, Babubazar and Badamtoli said the price of rice in rural markets is increasing every day, which has affected the city markets.

A wholesaler at Karwan Bazar said he has a stock for 15 days and he had purchased it at lower rates.

"I sent an employee to Chapainawabganj to buy rice but he told me that the price of rice was quite high there. The price at rural markets is equal to what I am charging here. Moreover, I have to bear the carrying cost. So, how can I sell rice at a lower price?" he said.

"It does not matter at what rate I purchased the rice 15 days ago--what matters is the present rate," he added.

A few businessmen at Babubazar and Badamtoli wholesale markets said crisis of rice in international market, curtailing export by some rice-exporting countries and India's sudden decision to stop exporting caused the price hike.

They admitted that the supply of rice to markets is adequate and pointed out that Boro rice will be arriving soon, but said traders usually tend to take opportunity of these incidents.

When contacted, food ministry Secretary Mollah Waheeduzzaman told The Daily Star that he does not see any logical reason behind the price hike of rice as the country has a reserve for three months and Boro rice will soon enter the markets.

"Hiking the price of rice is a trick of the unscrupulous businessmen," he said.

A high official of Food Directorate said the government has taken up many programmes to stabilise the market and help relieve people of the increased price of rice.

Meanwhile, the directorate increased the number of points of direct sale of rice from trucks loaded with 3.060 kilograms of rice at different locations in the capital. Employees of the directorate sell rice on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

The Food Directorate started selling rice on April 1.

Director General of Food Directorate Pius Costa said they will increase the number of direct sale points to 50 from Sunday.

Hundreds of customers were seen yesterday queuing up at the direct sale points in front of the Jatiya Press Club and secretariat gate-1 where the sales finished around 3:15pm.

Assistant Sub-inspector of the Food Directorate Nazmul Haque said they had been selling rice from 9:00am. He said they would continue selling rice until all the rice loaded in the trucks is sold.

"I came here during launch hour but found the place jam-packed with customers. I returned to my office after waiting in the queue for half an hour. I came here again at 3:30pm but found all the rice had already been sold," said Daud Hossain, an MLSS at the office of Comptroller General of Account at Segunbagicha.

Khaleda Begum, a cleaner at the secretariat, said her family has been suffering badly due to the steep rise in rice price.

She came to the Press Club point after failing to buy rice at the secretariat point. She stood in the queue from 3:00pm but all the rice had been sold before her turn came.

Many others like Khaleda Begum had to return home from the direct sale points empty handed.

A few third and fourth-class employees of the secretariat demanded that the authorities make arrangements for selling rice at these outlets after office hours.

Meanwhile, a large number of people yesterday thronged the BDR fair price outlets to buy rice. Rice is sold at 50 BDR outlets in the city six days a week.

The city's 700 OMS outlets, where rice is sold three days a week, remained closed yesterday.

AGREEMENT ON RICE IMPORT
Wasiuddin Ahmed, commercial minister of Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi, signed the agreement with representatives of the four Indian state-owned agencies--State Trading Corporation of India Ltd, Minerals & Metals Trading Corporation, National Agriculture Co-operative Marketing Federation of India Ltd, and PEC Ltd--for importing 4 lakh tonnes of rice from India.

Each agency will supply 1 lakh tonnes of rice.

Of the 4 lakh tonnes of rice, 1 lakh tonne will arrive in Bangladesh within 30 days while the rest in the next 30 days, said a food ministry press release.

Letters of credit (LC) for exporting the rice will be opened on Sunday.

Meanwhile, 12,500 tonnes of rice and 1,000 tonnes of skimmed powdered milk have arrived in Bangladesh from India. The neighbouring country had pledged to give 40,000 tonnes of rice, 10,000 tonnes of wheat and 1,000 tonnes of skimmed powdered milk as part of its food assistance to Bangladesh following cyclone Sidr.

About 7,500 tonnes of rice are expected to arrive in Chittagong Port in a few days, said a press release of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.
 
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[chottala.com] Pakistan: Two Lovers Stoned To Death

Pakistan: Two Lovers Stoned To Death
by voiceforpeace | April 2, 2008 at 12:46 am | 355 views | 7 comments

The cruel Taliban militants or terrorists, who have been ruling the tribal areas nowadays, have stoned two lovers to death in the presence of large number of people. The incident took place in Mohmand Agency, tribal areas situated on Pak-Afghan border adjoining to Bajaur Agency. The incident has saddened the whole tribal areas. According to them, the government of Pakistan has been claiming that tribal areas are the part of this country, but still such type of incidents have taking place without any hindrance.

Reports said that a man and a woman were stoned to death by militants in Khwezai-Baezai area on Monday after a 'qazi court' found them guilty of adultery.

This is the first incident of Rajam (stoning to death) carried out in Fata. Earlier, couples found guilty of adultery by militants or tribesmen were executed by firing squads.

The woman, identified as Shano from Mohmand Agency, had allegedly eloped with Daulat Khan Malikdeenkhel of Bara on March 15.

Dr Asad, a spokesman for the militants, told Dawn that Shano was a married woman living in Peshawar's Deen Bahar colony.

He said a complaint had been received from her family that she had been abducted by Daulat Khan. But later it was reported that she had eloped with him.

He said that some members of the Taliban movement captured them in Nowshera when they were returning from Karachi.

He said the qazi found the couple guilty of adultery and sentenced them to death by stoning and the sentence was carried out in Khwaezai-Baezai, about 40 kms west of the Mohmand Agency's headquarters Ghalanai.

The body of the woman was laid to rest in the same area by some local people. The man's body was taken to the hospital and handed over to his relatives.

The End

Militants stone couple to death

Militants stone couple to death

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[chottala.com] Salauddin Quader Chowdhury says he is well-known 'razakar'

SQ Chy says he is well-known 'razakar'
Staff Correspondent

"I'm a razakar, I'm a well-known razakar," said Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, parliamentary affairs adviser to former prime minister Khaleda Zia, during his trial yesterday at a special court set up at the MP Hostel in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

Salahuddin, who is widely criticised for his anti-liberation role, said this while questioning the plaintiff during the hearing of a case filed against him by the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC).

Razakars collaborated with the Pakistan occupation forces during the Liberation War.

ACC Assistant Director Akhter Hamid Bhuiyan filed the case accusing him of amassing wealth worth over Tk 9.45 crore illegally and hiding information about assets worth Tk 91.42 lakh in the wealth statement submitted to ACC.

As the judge, Shamsur Nahar, asked him to withdraw his statement which had no relevance to the case, the ex-lawmaker said: "Is the word 'razakar' bad?"

Salahuddin asked around 50 questions to the plaintiff during yesterday's proceedings.

He said his wife had to submit the wealth statement in just 72 hours when he was in jail.

Salahuddin's wife and three children were present at the court.
 
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