Nation this week
The Election Commission announced its 'action plan' to hold the 12th parliamentary polls amid street protests by the opposition parties demanding a non-party election-time caretaker government. "The 12th national election will be held at the end of December 2023 or in the first week of January 2024. The exact schedule will be announced in November next year," said election commissioner M Alamgir, unveiling the 20-page action plan. He said that if the action plan was correctly implemented, the election would be fair and impartial.
Election commissioner Rasheda Sultana said that it was impossible for the EC alone to implement this action plan, and all stakeholders must cooperate. Election commissioner Ahsan Habib said that the next general election would be fair and impartial, if not exceptional. To overcome the challenges surrounding the next general polls, the commission said that it had decided to limit the use of electronic voting machines to a maximum of 150 constituencies. Chief election commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal was absent.
Around 44.15 percent work of the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport has been completed so far, State Minister for Civil Aviation Mahbub Ali disclosed. The progress of the work has exceeded expectations, he said, adding that the third terminal can be inaugurated by October 2023. The junior minister said this while talking to reporters after inspecting the progress of the third terminal of the Dhaka airport.
The state minister also said that after the completion of the third terminal, Shahjalal Airport will be able to serve 22 million passengers annually. In response to questions about the ground handling of the third terminal, the state minister said, "We are thinking of inviting an international tender for the ground handling of the third terminal. Those considered eligible following all rules and conditions, will get the ground handling job of this terminal."
State-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) will procure 22.5 million litres of soybean oil and 15000 metric tons of lentils from local private firms through direct procurement method for its open market sale (OMS) program. Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase approved a number of separate proposals placed by the Commerce Ministry in this regard as the TCB, the state marketing agency under the ministry, will buy the commodities under different lots.
As per the proposals, the soybean oil will be procured from Bashundhara Multi Food Products Ltd, City Edible Oil Ltd, Meghna Edible Oil Refinery Limited and Super Oil Refinery Ltd at a total cost of Tk 415 crore. Each litre of soybean oil will cost between Tk183 and Tk185. The TCB will procure 5,000 MT of lentils each from Blue Sky Enterprises Dhaka, Masud and Brothers of Chittagong and Ruby Food Products Ltd, of Chittagong. Each kg of lentil will cost Tk 110, while the entire 15,000 MT will cost Tk 165 crore.
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Director General Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun is set to be appointed as the new inspector general of police (IGP). He will replace the current IGP Benazir Ahmed. Benazir is set to retire on September 30, according to sources at the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Ministry will issue a gazette notification soon in this regard.
Abdullah Al Mamun joined Bangladesh Police as an assistant superintendent of police in 1989. He has served as the chief of the Criminal Investigation Department, superintendent of police in Nilphamari district, deputy commissioner in Dhaka Metropolitan Police and as deputy inspector general in Mymensingh and Dhaka Range and Police Headquarters.
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