The government has decided to resume plying of public transport in all city corporations area including capital Dhaka considering the sufferings of people who work in government and non-government institutions under the lockdown situation. The information was delivered by Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader at his official residence in the capital on Tuesday. Obaidul Quader said that public transport will ply on the roads of Dhaka, Chattogram, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Cumilla, Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet, Barishal, Rangpur and Mymensingh city corporation areas from 6 am to 6 pm keeping half of the seats vacant. He said, every transport vehicle has to be disinfected at the beginning and ending of each trip and using hand sanitizers and wearing masks have to be ensured by the concerned transport related people and passengers. Charging extra fare has to be prohibited against the coordinated fares. Obaidul Quader also informed that plying of long distance transport will remain stop until the further instruction. The directions will be effective from tomorrow (Wednesday) and also will be effective until the further notice. AH    

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has made corona negative certificate mandatory for the passengers coming from abroad as severity of corona infection has increased in different countries of the world. The information came through a set of directions signed by CAAB member (flight standard and regulations) Group Captain Chowdhury Md. Ziaul Kabir on Friday. According to the directions, the decision will be effective from Saturday. As a result local and international airlines cannot board any passenger on the way to Bangladesh without corona negative certificate. Before arriving in the country the passengers have to test their samples in PCR laboratories within 72 hours. Only corona negative passengers will be permitted to arrive in Bangladesh. Passengers have to show their medical certificates in the airports. Aftermaths, medical screening including temperature testing will be performed for all the passengers after their arrival in the airports. If there is any symptom of coronavirus infection though having the negative certificate, then he or she will be treated in the designated hospitals after testing and will be sent to the isolation center. Those who have no symptom have to remain 14 days home quarantine. The directions said, the Bangladeshi workers who have BMET cards, for them if the concerned country has no available way for corona test in PCR lab then they can come to the country with the certificates of antigen tests or other acceptable test facilities. The diplomats residing in the country and their family members also have to posses PCR lab test certificates and the test should be done within 72 hours of departure. Foreign entrepreneurs and investors also have to come showing the corona negative certificates. If no symptom is traced in the medical test at the airport and if they want to stay in Bangladesh for less than 14 days then they will be allowed to leave the country. If they have any viral symptom then they will be sent to isolation center and hospital for test and treatment. The CAAB directions also said, the conditions will not be effective for the flights of relief initiated by the state except schedule commercial flight, humanitarian assistance, repatriation, returning Bangladeshi citizens from abroad and diplomatic flights permitted by the foreign ministry. AH     

The court has expressed caution on six grounds while appointing housemaids in homes. The directions came from the judge of Dhaka speedy trial tribunal-1 while delivering verdict of former Eden Mohila College principal Mahfuza Chowdhury Parvin murder case on Sunday. The six point directions are- 1. The activities of a housemaid should be strictly monitored for 90 days from the first day of appointment, so that she cannot steal anything from the house. If she commits any unjust work then nearby police station or social service officer should be informed by not beating her. 2. To appoint housemaid detail information should be kept. The bio-data and photograph of the housemaid should be collected and those should be deposited to the concerned police station. 3. Close Circuit Cameras should be installed in the house if there is not. 4. If a housemaid provided job to another then her personal details should be submitted in the concerned police station. 5. All the housemaid providing agencies have to obtain licenses and it should be informed to the police station. 6. Housemaid providing agencies have to deposit photographs and bio-data of all the registered housemaids to the police station. AH       

The Election Commission (EC) has given 12 directions so that newsmen can collect voting news from the election centers maintaining disciplined electoral atmosphere on the occasion of eleventh national parliament election. The commission also urged for collecting the news abiding by the rules and regulations from the vote centers for uninterrupted information collection and publicizing. The rules and regulations were issued through a statement signed by EC Public Relations department joint secretary SM Asaduzzaman. The statement said, only the EC authorized persons can enter the vote centers. EC will provide cards for the newsmen. Newsmen and Observers can use the sticker in their vehicles authorized by the commission. But no sticker can be issued for motorcycles. The directions that are given for the newsmen- 1. Valid card holders authorized by EC can directly enter the voting centers. After entering the centers they can collect information, take photographs and videos of the voting activities after obtaining permission from the Presiding Officer. But they cannot take photo or video of the secret room at any cost. 2. More than one media newsmen cannot enter the voting booth at a time. 3. No live telecast will be allowed from the voting booth. 4. For live telecast newsmen have to make that keeping safe distance from the voting booths in the vote center. No hindrance will be allowed for voting activities. 5. Newsmen can see the vote counting but no live telecast will be allowed. 6. No live social media telecast will be allowed from voting booth. 7. Have to refrain from the activities that hamper voting process. 8. Newsmen will follow the legal directions of Presiding Officers in the vote centers. 9. Cannot interfere the election related officers’ work. 10. Cannot touch or remove any types of election materials. 11. Have to refrain from any type of campaign or rivalry campaign for or against any political party or candidate while collection election news. 12. Have to abide by the laws and regulations for holding election. The statement said, action will be taken against persons or organizations according to the electoral laws, rules and codes if the said directions are not obeyed. AH             

The High Court has given directions over increasing mobile phone call charge without taking the opinions of the subscribers and compensation for the subscribers regarding call drops. The directions came in on Thursday after filling a writ petition challenging the validity of increasing call charge and call drop. Earlier directions were sought for forming an expert committee to take necessary measures for supervising, monitoring and protecting subscribers’ rights after filing a writ with the concerned department of High Court on Wednesday.  Members of Bangladesh Law Reporters Forum M. Badiuzzaman, Mehedi Hasan Dalim, Mobile Phone Subscribers Association president Mahiuddin Ahmed and Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Rashidul Hasan filed the writ petition for public interest. After hearing of the writ Mobile Phone Subscribers Association president Mahiuddin Ahmed told Rtv online, the High Court has given for specific directions in this regard. He said, it was said on behalf of the High Court for not increasing the call rate and other charges again, if call drop happens then the mobile phone operators cannot charge the money from that call and unnecessary messages cannot be sent to the mobile phone subscribers. In the writ telecommunication Secretary, BTRC Chairman, Secretary and Chief Executive Officers of Grameen Phone Limited, Airtel Limited, Robi Axiata Limited, Banglalink Limited and Tele Talk were made as the defendants. In the writ a report of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) was attached. There it was said, from September 2017 to September 2018 in these 13 months the mobile phone operators made call drops for 222 crore times. AH