Advice from energy adviser

     This relates to power prices on which the energy adviser differed from the finance minister's pragmatic and realistic observation that it will go up over the next three years. The matter was reported by all the print and audiovisual media some days back. Realistically , the finance minister is absolutely correct since electricity tariff is now highly subsidised and is artificially low, which needs to be rationalised by periodic price increases. On the other hand , the opinion of the prime minister's adviser is totally theoretical, to say the least .His statement was that 'it cannot be predicted whether prices will be increased or decreased .' Unless the government wants to foot the bill , which is highly unlikely if not impossible , energy prices are bound to go up. Based on these facts of life , the advice of the energy adviser is not 'worth the paper' in which it was printed.
      With such an academic and theoretical adviser. one wonders if the prime minister gets any realistic and practical advice on energy matters. If this is so, then she may be just throwing away good money after bad. There are many qualified and knowledgeable people around on energy matters whose advice will be of far better quality than the one quoted above.

New 'falsies' are dangerously false

           Not only false, but dangerous too-this is the stark reality reported by penny from the United Kingdom, in a write -up on 'implant scandal' published in a local English -language daily on 12th January. It brings out the tragedy of false hopes and promises, and the despair of countless French women's failed attempt to glamorise.
          The history of woman's figure augmenting started with the age-old 'falsies' and today it has become a high tech , surgical procedure needing full anaesthesia and risks, all undergone in search of figure upgrading, that is transformed to 'glamour at first glance'. However the latest craze of French women via 'surgical implants' has led to large-scale medical tragedy. Their folly has added burden to the social cost of surgical rectification and cure , including spill-over to dangerous medical after-effect. The surgical implant, by choice, cost per person was reportedly $5000.00 which comes to around Tk 5 lakh. The amount is enough to provide basic feeding for a poor Bangladeshi family of five for about eight years.
        If this be the price of luxury (?) for the well to do west, then let us be poor and content within our limitations , without further trying to enhance what nature has gifted. After all, lest we forget,'pride precedes tha fall.'

Anxiety: time to create awareness

      Anxiety is part and parcel of modern life. In our day-to-day life, each one of us feels and deals with anxiety more or less but when it becomes chronic, it is a real health hazard which invites heart palpitation , muscle weakness, shortness of breath, headache etc.
     We are living a fast -paced life . Many things are at our hand which we wouldn't dream a decade ago but still we are longing for more. We are always running after one materialistic gain to another. We are too busy to spend a moment at rest. A few days ago , in the morning , I was rushing to get ready for my office, when my six-year-old son came to me and told me that he had 'good news' for me. I asked what it was. He handed me a small, old toy car as a 'gift'! I said thanks to him and thought I would put the toy somewhere before leaving home when he would not be noticing but he was too careful not to let me go out of home without his gift so when I failed to dodge his attentive eyes and took that toy car in my pocket and went to my desk my colleagues gave me curious and asking look. I spent a less tense day because of that wonderful gift of my son which reminded me that life is also for play and be a child sometime.
      It is not all about cut-throat competition and worrying about deadlines. On my office desk, I have kept that gift as a souvenir of play fulness and being thankful for whatever I already have, In Chinese there is a beautiful saying- 'tension is who you think you should be, relaxation is who you are'.

Renewable energy can meet 80pc of Power demand

Around 80 per cent of the country’s demand for electricity could be addressed by using renewable energy, including solar and wind power systems, according to an expert.
   ‘Germany and the Latin American countries, including Cuba, are planning to generate 80 per cent of their power by setting up renewable energy systems and we should consider the methods to tackle our power crisis,’ said Sajed Kamal, a scientist and teacher at Brandeis University, Massachusetts in the US.
   He was speaking at a seminar, titled ‘Solar Energy Resource: Bangladesh’s Unutilised Energy Storehouse’, at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Friday.
   Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan organised the seminar, which was chaired by former
   adviser to the caretaker government and BAPA vice-president Sultana Kamal.
   Professors Saiful Haque and MM Akash of Dhaka University, and Dr Khursedul Islam also spoke at the seminar.
   Addressing the seminar as keynote speaker, Sajed Kamal in a power point presentation displayed the technology used by the western countries for generating power from renewable sources.
   He said the entire
   world was now giving attention to generate power from renewable sources.
   ‘It is high time for us to make immediate plans to generate power from renewable sources.’
   He said, ‘Bangladesh has a great potential. We’ve huge solar and wind energy, but we never consider using these sources of energy to address our power demand.’
   About the reason for global warming, Kamal said the global temperature had been rising gradually due to the use fossil fuel all over the world.
   He suggested using renewable energy, including solar and wind
   power to permanently address the country’s power crisis and also contribute to reducing global warming.
   The expatriate scientist urged the government
   to take a long-term
   plan to set up renewable energy system in the country.
   Saiful Haque said people thought that solar system was very costly, but they would be able to meet their power demand permanently by using solar panel.

Nagotiation Capacity can Helf win Climate talks battle

Speakers at a workshop in Dhaka on Friday stressed the need for building up the negotiation capacity of the developing countries in global climate talks to win the ongoing battle of climate change talks.
   Delegates of developing countries need to better understand the legal aspects of climate politics and strengthen country’s position at global level to enhance their legal and political capacity, they said.
   Ministry of environment and forests and Oxfam- Bangladesh arranged the two-day workshop on ‘Legal briefing on UNFCCC negotiation’ for Bangladesh negotiation team taking part in the UNFCCC climate talks.
   About 25 participants including government officials, NGO members and media people are taking part in the workshop arranged aimed at strengthening capacity to be aware of international laws with regards to global talks on climate change.
   While inaugurating the workshop, the secretary of the MoEF, Mihir Kanti Majumder, said negotiations under the UNFCC and the Kyoto Protocol had become more complex, both the issues under discussion and the process of addressing them.
   So, he said, the delegates need to augment resources as well as skills and knowledge to negotiate with larger delegations.
   Noted economist and a co-author of Intergovernm-ental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report Professor Qazi Kholiquzzaman said climate change was not now a geo- political issue. It is now very related to social and cultural aspects as it posed threat to existence of mankind.
   He said developing countries like Bangladesh had to strengthen their negotiation capacity as signing of a fair, ambitious and legally binding climate agreement was not possible without their active participation.
   Country director of Oxfam-Bangladesh Gareth Price Jones said in the negotiation process the developed countries always intended to dominate the developing states especially the least developing countries.
   ‘But we have to keep our efforts up till a FAB climate deal is achieved,’ he said.
   Two lawyers from Oxfam’s Legal Response Initiative Raj Bavishi and Ilona Millar introduced the international climate laws, compliance mechanism of the laws as well as legal basis of the Copenhagen Accord.
   Director general of DoE Monwar Hossain and Oxfam policy and advocacy manager Ziaul Haque Mukta also spoke on the occasion.

Call For July 3 as National Mental Health Day

People with disabilities on Friday demanded of the government to declare July 23 as ‘national mental health day’ to commemorate the anniversary of death of Mohsin Siddique alias Lulu, a pioneer of mental health movement.
   They raised the demand from an hour-long human chain they formed before the National Press Club with support from the Welfare Society for Mental Health and Rehabilitation, affiliated to the National Forum of Organisations Working with the Disabled.
   Popularly known as ‘Lulu pagla’, he was himself a mental patient.
   Mental health is highly neglected by the government and the national health care system, said Badrul Mannan, general secretary of the WSMHR. But, he said, no country could be made productive neglecting mental health.
   Other speakers urged the government to give importance to mental health care.
   They also called for involving the people to ensure transparency in making mental health law.
   They called for proper treatment and mainstreaming of mental patients, instead of leaving them out.

PWD (Tender Notice)

Public Works Department.
Purta Bhaban,Segunbagicha,Dhaka
Invitation For Tenders
1.Tender name : Construction of first Floor over the Existing  Ground Floor of Academic Building    of
                        Viqarunnisa School and Collage at Bally,Road,Dhaka. .
2.Source of Funds :Private Fund.3.Tender No. :   07/2009-2010.
4.Time for Completion of the Work: 6(Six) month.
5.Tender Qualification:This invitation forTenders is open to all eligible Tenders as mentioned in
                     Instructions to Tenderers and Tender  Data Sheet (TDS).6.Tenderers Qualification: This invitation for Tenders is open to all qualified  Tenderers as mentioned below:
            (a)Reputed Contractors/Construction firms who have minimum 10(ten) years of general experience
                 in building construction work.
            (b)Having experience in successful completion of at least 1(one) number of  building incluing  
               sanitary and elect rical work of Tk.70.00 (seventy) lac in a single tender in  Government/
               Semi-Government/Autonomous Organization/ Private Organization of Bangladesh during last
               5(five) years. The work certificate for successful completion of be issued by a building work
               shall have to be issued by the officer not below the rank of Executive Engineer or equivalent
              of concerned Department/ Organization duty verified by the concerned Executive Engineer of
              PWD Of that  area /district under whose jurisdiction the work has been done.Prescribed from
              for “work certificate” for this purpose will be available in all offices mentioned in clause no.9.
          (c)The Tenderers shall have a minimum average annual construction turn over during last 5(five)
               years of Tk.300.00 (three hundred) lac.
         (d)Other required eligibility and conditions of the tenderer are shown in Tender Data Sheet of
             tender documents.
7.Price ofd Tender Document:Tk.1500(one hundred and five hundred)
8.Amount of Tender Security:Tk.3.50(three point five zero)lac only.
9.name of address of the Officer’s Selling Tender Document:   :Office of the Divisional Commissioner,Dhaka.:PWD City Division/Dhaka PWD Division-        l/ll/lll/lV/MedicalCollege
 PWD Division/Motijheel PWD Division/Azimpur PWD Division/Resources PWD Division/Sher-e-
Bangla Nagar PWD Division-l/ll/lll/ Savar PWD Division/Mohakhali  WD Division/Mirpur PWD Division/Maintenance PWD Division.:PWD Chittagopng Division-1,   Chittagong.PED Khulna Division-1,Khulna.PWD Rajshahi Division-1,Rajshahi.PWD Sylhet Division, Sylhet. And PWD Barisal Division ,Barisal.:Office of the Sub-Division Engineer,PWD Sub-division No-V,under PWD Division
No.-lV, Purta Bhaban,Dhaka.
10.Name and address of the Officer’s Receiving Tender::Office of the Executive Engineer,PWD PECU     Division,Purta Bhaban,Segunbagicha,Dhaka.
11.Name and address of the Office Openung Tenders:   :Office of the Executive Engineer,PWD PECU  Division,Purta Bhaban,Segunbagicha,Dhaka.
12.last Date and Time for Selling Tender Document::During office hours up to 07-03-2010.
13.Date and Time for Submission of Tender Document::Up to 12.00 noon of 08-03-2010.
14.Date and Time for Opening of Tender::           Tender will be opened on 08-03-2010 at 12.30 PM in the  office of the under signed.Intending    Tenderers or their authorized representative may remain present during  opening of tenders.
15.Special Instructions:  (a)If the Tender submits any false/incorrect or forget certificate,the tender
               security may remain present during opening of tenders.
           (b)The competent authority reserves the right to accept or reject Any or all tender without
                assigning any reason whatsoever.
           (c)This tender notice is brief and the detalls of the tender can beSeen from the office of                undersigned during office hours.
Kazi Md.Firoze Hassan
Executive Engineer
PWD PECU Division.