Refusal of Biman's Plea

JS body to identify officials responsible

4 July 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

A parliamentary body yesterday formed a sub-committee to identify officials behind refusal of the Biman Bangladesh Airline's plea to give a leased aircraft extension of waiver for registration. Headed by ruling Awami League lawmaker Dhirendra Debnath Shambhu, the three-member committee has been asked to submit its report within next one and a half month. The parliamentary standing committee on public undertakings also asked the civil aviation and tourism ministry not to interfere in Biman's activities so that the national flag carrier can run on its own. The rejection of national carrier's plea on June 14 forced Biman to halt flights with the leased Boeing 747-200 on the routes between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia that left hundreds of passengers into trouble, officials said. On June 19, Biman however resumed flights with the leased Boeing after the ministry awarded verbal permission to use the aircraft for carrying passengers. Earlier on June 23, a parliamentary body on civil aviation ministry blasted ministry's top-level officials on the same ground.