BANGLADESH

Chairman of Sahara India Pariwar, the largest private sector employer in India, Subrata Roy Sahara arrived in Bangladesh on Tuesday on his first-ever official trip.

Sahara is being accompanied by his wife Swapna Roy and around 20 officials in the visit that is expected to see finalisation of an 800 billion rupee investment by the group in Bangladesh.

The delegation touched down at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 3:30pm, the group's local public relations agent said in a media release. It added that they drove to Hotel Ruposhi Bangla from the airport.

Sahara is expected to finalise with the government investment in five township schemes near the capital, Dhaka. The PR agent said that the group's founder will discuss potential investment opportunities with government officials, and political and business leaders during his visit.

There is high expectation that its multi-million dollar schemes in low-cost township, health and hospitality sectors would move the nation's competitiveness to a new height.

Details of his tour schedules remained sketchy but the delegation is expected to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, officials of the Board of Investment and Ministry of Public Works during his three-day visit.

The High Court on Tuesday called 'thieves' all those who got plots in Tejgaon commercial area through 'illegal' allocation of lands meant for construction of roads under the Hatirjheel-Begunbari project in Dhaka.

Journalist Shafiq Rehman, former BNP-led coalition government State Ministers Maj (Retd) Kamrul Islam and Ziaul Haque Zia were present when the bench of justices A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Jahangir Hossain made the comment.

All three were summoned to explain how they were allotted the plots. The bench also ordered the Cabinet Secretary to launch high-powered investigation into the affair.

LGRD Secretary Abu Alam Shahid Khan, Law Secretary Ashish Ranjan Das, home ministry's Joint Secretary (Police) Nazim Uddin and External Resources Division Secretary Iqbal Mahmood are to be kept in the investigation committee.

The committee has been told to check whether the plots were given legally, what procedure was followed for allocation and whether environment ministry's clearance was taken and submit a detailed report on their findings.

The Anti-Corruption Commission Director General has also been instructed to check whether there was any corruption during the allocation.

Both the committee and the ACC were told to submit their findings by July 15.

Rehman, Islam and Zia were also ordered to submit a list of their moveable assets in the form of an affidavit to the court by that time.

The bench on May 9 issued a rule on its own volition after Assistant Attorney General Yadiya Zaman produced the two newspaper reports and an essay before the court. It also stayed constructions on the plot, which has never been in the plan of the Hateerjhil-Begunbari project.

The two former State Ministers appeared before the court on May 16 on receiving a summons. The court on that day also asked the former editor of Bengali-language daily Jaijaidin, Shafiq Rehman, to appear before it.

"Those who have grabbed the land are thieves, all are thieves. Those who have owned the land and those who distributed them are all thieves," Justice A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury said at one point of the hearing.

He continued that the correct method of allocating plots is the way capital development authority RAJUK does, which invites applications through advertisement.

"In this case, you will have to give advertisements too, whether it is in the newspapers or on televisions. Those who will take land without advertisements are all thieves. As this is the property of the people, you cannot take it without informing them."

"We will dig deep into this incident. No matter how powerful, we will not let anyone get away. If there is a single lie in the affidavit, then that will mean a five-year term in prison," the judge said, warning the trio.

A report titled 'Road becomes plot' published in the daily Kaler Kantha newspaper on Feb 27, 2010, another published in the daily Shamakal on Mar 27 the same year styled 'Road project becomes industrial plot overnight' and an essay published in the daily Shamakal by Abu Sayeed Khan led the court to issue the suo moto order.

The Kaler Kantha reported, after turning the 60-feet wide road of Tejgaon industrial area into an industrial plot, each katha of the land was sold for Tk 1.5 lakh as against the existing market value of at least Tk 1 crore.

The court also ordered Director General of Anti-Corruption Commission to explain why the court should not order it to act against those who sold the plots at lower prices only for the sake of completing the procedure.

RAJUK has been asked to explain in two weeks why allocation of land, meant for road, as plots should not be declared illegal and cancelled.

Report on Rehman's 'corruption'

The court also ordered the Bangladeshi High Commission in the UK to file a report on the fund-raising for the flood-affected in Bangladesh by London-based radio Spectrum and how the money was spent.

Shafiq Rehman co-owns the radio station.

It also asked the High Commissioner to include the current state of Scotland Yard's probe into the issue.

The order came after Deputy Attorney General A B M Altaf Hossain pointed out to the court at Tuesday's hearing that the journalist also ran a fund-raising campaign in London for the flood-affected, funds of which never reached Bangladesh.

Police have documented a case against nearly 100 lawyers, naming 29 of them including BNP leader Sanaullah Mia, under the Speedy Trial Act for unleashing vandalism and chaos in a Dhaka court.

Pro-BNP lawyers, under the Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum, had boycotted proceedings at four trial courts in Dhaka demanding release of senior leaders of the 18-Party opposition alliance detained in connection with the Apr 29 arson attack case.

Several lawyers of the forum, reportedly smashed windowpanes of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court and threw black flags into the courtroom of the Metropolitan Judge's Court. They also asked the court to suspend proceedings.

Kotwali Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Mokbul Hossain had filed the case earlier in the day over the vandalism and chaos.

SI Chittoranjan Roy of the same police station told  late on Tuesday night that the case had been documented under the Speedy Trial Act.

Twenty-nine people had been named in the case as accused including former Dhaka Ainjibi Forum president Sanaullah, along with 70 unnamed others, Roy said.

Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) of Kotwali police station Mahbub Hossain had told  in the afternoon that the case was filed accusing 200 unnamed lawyers.

Administrative Officer of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court Syed Shahabuddin had accused several members of the lawyers' forum of knocking violently at the courtroom's door and smashing windowpanes of the room.

On Apr 29, a vehicle was torched near the Prime Minister's Office allegedly by the pickets of the 18-Party alliance during the opposition-sponsored shutdown. Police had filed a case the same day under the Speedy Trial Act at the Tejgaon Police Station accusing leaders of the alliance.

On Monday, the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Speedy Trial Magistrate Mohammad Erfan Ullah took cognisance of charges against BNP Acting Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 44 others in the arson attack case.

It also rejected bail extension plea of BNP Joint Secretary-General and MP Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon in the same case and ordered him into jail. He was on an anticipatory bail granted by the High Court until May 21.

Nishat Mazumder, the first Bangladeshi woman who conquered the fearsome and unforgiving Mount Everest, and her colleague MA Mohit have climbed down to the base camp of the world's tallest mountain.

Talking to  on Tuesday, they said they were hoping to return to Bangladesh on June 1.

Both said they were physically fine except for catching some cold because of the chilly weather and snow storms.

Nishat ascended the 8,850-meter (29,035 feet) Everest summit from the northern side of the mountain in Nepal around 9:30am on May 19, along with Mohit, who is the second Bangladeshi to have conquered the Everest.

Mohit is the current president of renowned mountaineering organisation Bangla Mountaineering and Trekking Club (BMTC) situated in the capital's Kakoli area. Nishat is its member.

Expressing her feelings about the moment when she became the first Bangladeshi woman to conquer the Everest, Nishat told : "I could not believe myself ... I thought I was dreaming."

"It was a very tough. When we started our journey, we didn't think it would be so difficult and risky," she said reminiscing the historic climb.

On the difficulties she faced during the journey, she said, "An avalanche took place around 10am on Apr 27 at a peak beside Mount Everest when we were on our way to the Camp-2 from the base camp."

"This is kind of normal thing here, but it was a massive one," Nishat said adding she did receive a hit on her head because of the avalanche, "but it was not that serious".

"If we had been at the base camp at that time, all of us would have died. I saw death from this close. Our survival was a miracle.

"Moreover, the weather was too bad with stormy winds. We thought the wind would blow us away. Our road to the peak was extremely risky."

Nishat said, "I heard later that at least 22 mountaineers died on way to the peak due to accidents."

Asked whether she ever thought that she would become the first Bangladeshi woman to conquer the world's tallest mountain, the girl from Laxmipur district said, "Just like other mountaineers, I also had the dream to conquer the Everest."

"My dream is fulfilled, and I have no words to express my feelings."

"Usually one finishes one's mountaineering career after winning the Everest, but I started mine the other way round," Nishat said with a snigger.

Nishat, the second child of her parents, is also the first Bangladeshi woman to conquer three other Himalayan peaks higher than 6,000 metres. She conquered the Himalaya's Mera Peak (6,653.78 metres) in 2007, Singchuli Peak (6,501 metres) in 2008 and Makalu Peak (8,493.3 metres) in 2009.

Born in Laxmipur in 1981, she completed her secondary education at Bottomley Home Girls High School and higher secondary education at Shahid Anwar Girls College. She did her bachelors and masters in Accounting from Dhaka City College and currently works for Dhaka WASA.

She, however, did not forget to express her gratefulness to her family and her club BMTC and fellow club members.

"This wouldn't have been possible without my parents' support. Also, my club members gave me support and courage. But most of the credit goes to club's founder Inam Al Haque, who taught me everything."

"He taught me about the mountains and what mountaineering is all about," she added.

While Nishat was talking to  on Tuesday, she and Mohit were staying at the base camp, 5,305 metre high from the sea level.
To the young generation, Nishat Mazumder said, "I would like to tell the young generation that no matter wherever your interest is, just concentrate on it. The dream will come true."

Nishat's colleague and BMTC President MA Mohit told : "There are two ways leading to the peak of the Mount Everest. One is the Tibbet's border side North-East Ridge and the other one is in the opposite, the South-East Ridge."

Musa Ibrahim, founder of Bangladesh's North Alpine Club, was the first Bangladeshi to have conquered the Everest on May 22, 2010, taking the North-East Ridge path. Then Mohit conquered the Everest on May 21, 2011, as the second Bangladeshi.

Mohit said, "Compared to the South-East one, North-East Ridge is much safer. Trekking on this path is also easier. Mountaineers generally take this path."

"South-East one is much more risky. There are 20 danger zones in the path from the base camp to camp-4. At least 20 mountaineers have died in these zones until now."

Asked why take the riskier one than taking the safer path, Mohit, a veteran climber who made it to the top of Everest, Manaslu and Cho-Oyu-3 summits over 8,000 metres high, said, "Simply because of more adventure."

"I took the North-East Ridge first time, that's why I took the South-East one this time."

Asked whether he felt any difference between his feelings after scaling the Everest the first and the second time, he said, "When I conquered the Everest for the first time, I felt like I was the king of the world. I felt the same this time, too."

"We wanted to prove that we, Bangladeshis, can do it. We will always get to the highest peak overcoming all the obstacles," Mohit said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday expressed her deep sorrow over the death of eminent economist and civil rights activist Prof Muzaffar Ahmed.

She also extended sympathy to the family of Prof Muzaffar, a former Dhaka University teacher, her Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad said.

He died of old age complications late Tuesday on the way from his Dhanmondi residence to the capital's LabAid Hospital. He was 79.

Prof Muzaffar was the President of Sujon, or Sushashoner Jonno Nagarik. He is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.

He was also chairman of the trustee board of the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) and a former director of Dhaka University's Institute of Business Administration.
The veteran economist was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2008.

He had long been suffering from various medical complications including a type of blood cancer.