Rashidul Hasan

Twenty-three tanneries that are causing high levels of pollution are set to be shut down, a parliamentary body said yesterday.

The central effluent treatment plant (CETP) at the Savar Tannery Industrial Estate with fundamental flaws and jaw-dropping inadequacies, reflects extremely negatively on how this project was planned, designed and implemented, said Saber Hossain Chowdhury, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the environment, forest and climate change ministry.

Biman could lose its right to fly to Saudi Arabia for failing to operate with one general sales agent in the kingdom.

In the latest development, Biman Bangladesh Airlines yesterday said its online ticketing system will be re-launched on February 27 to modernise and facilitate passenger services.

A Chinese company has proposed building a metro rail line in Chattogram and reclaiming land from the sea to build a 60-square km “smart city” in exchange for a share of the latter.

The struggle of UAE-bound passengers at the Dhaka airport islikely to be over as the Gulf country issued a new travel advisory yesterday withdrawing the mandatory provision for Covid RT-PCR test at the airport within six hours before departure.

Seven months after the inauguration, the authorities could still not make the e-gates operational for e-passport holders at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, frustrating inbound and outbound passengers.

A parliamentary body yesterday came down heavily on Biman’s respective top officials for causing damage to the tune of Tk 1,000 crore to the interiors of eight aircraft while transporting cargo since March 2020.

A parliamentary body yesterday asked the environment directorate to shut down the Savar Tannery Industrial Estate, as the joint management committee (JMC) that runs the estate failed to comply with environmental standards.

A relatively new De Havilland Canada Dash-8 aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines has been grounded since February 2 due to “damaged engines caused by pilot error”.

The jet fuel price has gone up from Tuesday, the 11th hike in 15 months, dealing a fresh blow to the struggling aviation industry at a time when it was getting back up on its feet with the normalisation of air travel once again.

The government while closing 25 state-owned jute mills a year and a half ago had pledged to reopen those, but a parliamentary committee yesterday recommended those be not reopened under government management.

Poisoned chalice -- is what sums up best Bangladesh’s aviation industry.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has bought two Boeing 737-800 aircraft which it had been leasing from Ireland’s Celestial Aviation Trading Ltd since 2009.

Some 550 Bangladeshi expatriate workers, including 200 UAE-bound ones, are forced to cancel their flights every day at the last moment, said sources at Dhaka airport.

 It took almost 50 years to initiate a move to have a law on forming the Election Commission, and a bill to that end was passed in parliament in only about 180 minutes yesterday, amid protests from the opposition lawmakers.

The parliamentary standing committee on the law ministry yesterday finalised the Election Commission bill after recommending some changes, including in the criteria for appointment of the chief election commissioner and other commissioners. 

Law Minister Anisul Huq yesterday placed a bill in parliament seeking to give a legal shield to the current and previous Election Commissions formed through search committees, amid opposition from a BNP lawmaker.

The shortages of experts and professionals, including pilots, have left Biman unable to realise the full potential of its modern fleet, said Biman Managing Director and CEO Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal in an interview with The Daily Star.

The president’s dialogue on the formation of the next Election Commission has become almost insignificant and lost its importance as multiple major political parties boycotted it one after another, said political analysts and parties.