Govt to build outposts at border with India

The government will construct border outposts along the 700km border with India to stop smuggling and ensure overall security.

The decision was taken at the deputy commissioners' (DC) conference with the home ministry at Bangladesh Secretariat yesterday.

The DCs of Panchagarh and Cox's Bazar gave the proposal for strengthening security.

They also proposed construction of a ring road along the border with India, which already has a ring road at the border with Bangladesh.

A number of DCs also recommended enhancement of capabilities of the coast guard and law enforcement agencies and renovation of the district prisons. 

Talking to journalists after the meeting, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said they instructed the DCs to hold the scheduled meetings of the District Law and Order Committee and the Committee to Resist Terrorism and Sabotage, which are not held regularly.

"We also instructed the DCs to sensitise people to criminal activities," he said.

Referring to the murder of Samiul Alam Rajon, 13, in Sylhet, he said when such a boy was being beaten to death, many people witnessed it but none cared about informing police.

If awareness is created, the number of such incidents would come down, he opined.

He said they were enhancing the capabilities of the coast guard to control trafficking of humans and drugs and piracy. 

On DCs' proposals, Kamal said they were trying to provide police more vehicles to increase their mobility at the district level.

The divisional commissioner of Dhaka suggested that executive magistrates should be given power to try people carrying drugs like Yaba and Phensedyl up to 100 grams.

MEETING WITH NAHID AND FIZAR

The DCs, at a meeting with Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid and Primary

and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman Fizar, yesterday alleged that there were irregularities in the recruitment of teachers at non-government educational institutions.

They suggested that they should be involved in the recruitment process.

The officials alleged that many teachers in rural areas told students answers of multiple-choice questions in examination halls during public tests and recommended strong action against them.

The DCs demanded building educational institutions and distributing study materials in the enclaves.

MEETING WITH MUHITH

While meeting Finance Minister AMA Muhith, the DCs proposed that they could find one lakh new tax payers every year if the National Board of Revenue (NBR) cooperated with them.

Muhith told reporters that it was decided that from now on the NBR would conduct surveys jointly with the DC in each district to find new tax payers.

He said the DCs would be informed of the target Bangladesh Bank fixed for disbursing agriculture loans every year.

MEETING WITH MOSHARRAF

At a meeting with the DCs, Housing and Public Works Minister Mosharraf Hossain said they took a project to ensure that all public servants got a flat or house after retirement.

The DCs proposed construction of more Circuit Houses at the district level, said meeting sources.