Name: Kh.A.Saleque.
Email:
Web Site: http://e-bangladesh.org/saleque
Bio: Kh. A. Saleque (Saleque Sufi) is the ex-Director (Operation) GTCL and writes from Australia.
Posts by saleque:
Save Rivers, Save Dhaka, Save Bangladesh
June 3rd, 2009
The poetic beauty of rivers in Bangladesh, Image by Ziaul Haque, Used under a CC license
When we took the City Cat ride on Brisbane River, or had a view of the river from Sydney opera house or spent time in South Bank of Melbourne CBD we always thought what Dhaka could be if we could maintain the virginity of Buriganga, Sitalakhya, Turag and Balu rivers. Can fondly remember when we were in our childhood we used to come to Dhaka from Goalando, Faridpoor by Steamer Ostrich to Narayanganj and then by train to Dhaka in 1960s. Padma, Buriganga , Sitalakhya that we had to cross were of poetic beauty. Lush green villages around river banks were enchanting.
Due to unplanned growth of Dhaka in all dimensions over the last four decades we have indiscriminately misused our natural gift. That beauty of the rivers is gone. Rivers are polluted to such an extent that no aquatics can survive. . Grabbers and encroachers have grabbed major parts of the rivers. The rivers are dying. If people of Dhaka do not rise in one voice in another 10 years Dhaka will become inhabitable a barren city. Rivers around Dhaka will be the events of the past. Our future generation will curse us. Read the rest of this entry “
Fertilizer – A Big Bother for Bangladesh
January 27th, 2009
This year’s potato-farming has been hampered by the deficiency of ‘Urea’ fertilizer supply
Photo: Shafiq Islam, DRIK News, Bogra
One of major challenge for the present government of Bangladesh is to arrange all agricultural inputs to the farmers at affordable cost to help grow required food grains to achieve food autarky which Bangladesh also achieved during the Awami League Government of 1996-2001. Of these most important one is the supply of fertilizer. The new Government has already reduced the price of non urea fertilizer significantly. It has plan to import urea fertilizers to cover the deficit of the combined demands of the fertilizer plants in Bangladesh. But the matter to bother is that, the government has to cater for a subsidy amounting to 6 thousand crore taka to comfort fertilizer supply alone. It is true that food supply is one of main responsibility of the Government. But the money to be dedicated for fertilizer subsidy is considered enough to set up 4 new fertilizer plants in Bangladesh. Read the rest of this entry “
Trials of War Criminals –Bitter Truth
January 11th, 2009
Rajshahi University students organized a rally and formed a human chain demanding justice against the war criminals of the War of Liberation in 1971. Rajshahi, Bangladesh. November 10 2008.
Photo by: Iqbal Ahmed, Rajshahi,Drik*NEWS.
One of the major issues that influenced the Bangladeshi voters to vote massively in favour of the mahajote in Election 08 leading to their landslide victory is its commitment to try the war criminals and combat terrorism. Bangladesh won independence on 16th December 1971 after 9 months of bloody liberation war. Approxiamtely 3 million people laid down their lives and 100 thousand women were violated. Few hundred top Intellectuals – university professors, poets, artists, singers, Engineers, Doctors, and Journalists were brutally killed by the occupation army and their Bangladeshi collaborators. It is unbelievable to even imagine that a nation born of blood bath of 3 million and violation of 1 million women failed to bring the identified war criminals and anti liberation force under justice in 37 long years. Read the rest of this entry “
Bangladesh Cabinet – Charter for Change
January 8th, 2009
by: Shafiqul Islam Kajol, DRIK News
The difference between a man and an angel is that man make mistakes but angels don’t. If man did not make mistake then we may not have to come to earth from heaven. Those who do not learn from mistakes do not admit mistake and repent are fools. They are doomed and destroyed. Those who do it can be heroes again. All the persons heading Bangladesh government since independence made mistakes. Some paid back in cruel tragedies others were overthrown by street agitation or through popular mandate. Never before such a fair election could be held as never before an authentic voter list with Voter ID cards was there. People have voted against corruption, terrorism, anarchy and war crimes. People have voted for a change. They vote for lesser evils believing in their pledges and declared vision.
The early steps of Sheikh Hasina led grand alliance government signals that Hasina belongs to the second group which acknowledged their mistakes and are ready to compensate. She learned bitter lessons from her past, did lot of homework and has started to deliver to lead the nation to her vision 2021 –charter for change. Although it is too early to jump into conclusion but one must say it is a promising start. A cabinet of clean image, a cabinet dominated by youth enterprising persons of movers and shakers.
Read the rest of this entry “
Indo-Bangla Relation in a Critical Phase
January 4th, 2009
Photo:Maitreyee Express,Dhaka-Calcutta train, by Subir Bhaumik.
Awami League led Grand Alliance has won the parliamentary election in Bangladesh in 2008 with a landslide (¾th) majority. The party will soon form a new government which will have to shoulder massive responsibility of rebuilding the national economy. They are coming to power at an stage when the world economy is suffering from serious recession. The unpredicted energy crisis of recent time, ongoing food crisis and global warming are also major challenges they have to confront.
Bangladesh is surrounded by India, a large neighbor from almost three sides – East, West and North. All rivers flowing through Bangladesh originate from India. In 1971 India provided shelter to about 10 millions refugees; it trained our liberation force, provided arms and also fought side by side with our liberation force to win independence against Pakistani occupation force. But unfortunately over the years the relation between two neighborly nations grew increasingly bitter. Many major issues have reached the stages of conflict. A small neighbor of a huge population and economy suffers a great deal due to continued disputes over critical issues.
