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Thursday, July 24, 2008

[mukto-mona] Re: Satya pir

WRT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/49150

Thanks for the added info. Could you please elucidate on this man
Shotto pal. looking forward to your reply.


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[mukto-mona] Indo-US Nuke deal & nucl electricity

 
A fairly balanced piece, excepting one point: gestation period (average) for nucl power plant is 14 year+ ( 23 years for the last nucl plant in the USA)

Saviour or monster? by NN Sachitanand  24 Jul 08 (http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1179584&pageid=0)
In  the  raging debate  on the Indo-US nuclear  deal,  a crucial aspect that has been  rendered cloudy due to exaggeration from both sides is the role that can be played by  nuclear energy in the future scenario of power generation  in  India. 

The supporters of the deal have painted nuclear power as a white knight that will save this country from a power-starved future. The antagonists characterise nuclear energy as a monster which will lay waste the environment  with  radioactivity and emphasise that  we would  be better off laying  our bets on non-conventional renewable energy sources like the sun, wind  and  biomass. 

Both are wrong.  The pro-nuclear group is grossly underestimating the difficulties of putting up nuclear power-generating capacity.  It  has  taken  India  over  40 years  to put up the current commercially operating nuclear  power  capacity  of  a mere 3,779 MWe .

Another 2,976  MWe  of  nuclear  power  capacity is  supposed to go  into  commercial  operation  towards the end of 2010 . 

Because of  safety  issues relating to  containing radioactivity,  the construction of a nuclear power  plant  is extremely complex  in terms of  materials, processes, safety standards, stipulations,  inspection,  and trials as compared with a coal or oil-based  thermal power plant.

Each of the initial lot of nuclear power plants in India took anywhere from 6 to 8 years to complete.  The pace has picked up a bit for the latter lot, but it still takes from 4 to 6 years for a plant to be put up now. 

And these are plants of 200 MWe capacities. In contrast, you can put up a 4000 MW coal-based thermal power plant in four to six years. As against this experience of putting up 7000 MWe  in 50  years,  the  UPA  government  is claiming that , provided the gates of international  supplies of fuel, equipment, expertise and funds are opened up following the ratification of the nuclear deal,  the nuclear power capacity can be ramped  up to  20,000 MWe  by 2020  and  another 20,000 MWe  can be  added by 2030. 

This is the height of optimism. These grandiose plans will most likely founder, in the first instance due to protracted delays in getting community approval at the proposed sites and, in the second instance, in getting adequately-skilled  manpower.

As of now, nuclear power represents a mere 3 per cent of the of total power generation capacity installed in India. Even  if, post the nuclear deal,  all the 40,000 MWe capacity  comes into being  by 2030 as projected by the nuclear lobby, which is highly unlikely,  it will still represent  just 10 per cent of the total  power-generating capacity of  4,00,000 MW expected  to be installed  by  2030.

Let us now turn our attention to the other end of the spectrum — the non-conventional, renewable energy sources. According to the ministry of new and renewable Energy (MNRE), as on March 31, 2008, a grand total of 12,632 MW, which includes everything from solar and wind to biomass-based power generation. Compare this to current total installed power-generating capacity of 1, 45,000 MW, and we get an idea of how pitiful is the contribution of these renewable energy sources.

The fundamental weakness of all these alternative energy resources is their distributed nature.  This means you cannot generate a large amount of power in a small area, using such resources. For example, India is supposed to have a total wind power potential of 65,000 MW.

But the MNRE has itself pointed out that wind-power farms require 12 hectares per megawatt. If we take into account the international practice of setting up grid-interactive wind power systems on sites having wind power density greater than 300 W/m2, the national potential would be only 5000 MW.

Or take deriving electrical energy from sunlight using photovoltaic panels, which is supposed to be the fastest-growing alternate energy industry in the world today. A recent housing project near Kolkota which used this technology deployed 16 square metres of photovoltaic panels per house for a capacity of 2 kilowatts. 

If we were to translate this to the requirement of panel area for a 1000 megawatt power plant, it would come to an impractical 9 million square metres! 

I am afraid the romantics will have to wait for the day when scientists crack the problem of extracting hydrogen from sea-water on a commercial scale at a cost cheaper than that of natural gas.  Till then,  India's  power  demand will have to be met  largely  by coal  and  natural gas,  both  of which , unfortunately , are carbon dioxide emitters when combusted.  Perhaps the government of India needs to focus more on developing technologies to trap and store this carbon dioxide. 
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[mukto-mona] CPM's cadres

 
 
CPM can expel Somnath Chatterjee, but not a communal member of Kolkata district committee, whose lackeys extort money from street hawkers. A notorious backer of anti-social, he is a former MLA from the Entally Constituency and his son is a real estate promoter with dubious records.
SR

Muscle behind Kolkata hawker menace by Saikat Ray 24 Jul 08 (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Kolkata_/Muscle_behind_Kolkata_hawker_menace/articleshow/3271989.cms)

Tuesday's hawker eviction drive on Park Street has brought relief to businessmen in the area but they feel it is too early to rejoice. Given the kind of backing these encroachers have — from leaders and criminals to some police officers — there is a fear that militant hawkers' unions will hit back with vengeance.

The businessmen have reasons to fear. In fact, the hawker raj has spread its tentacles to every corner of the city — including prime areas like Park Street and BBD Bag — because of strong support from unions. And they know only too well that two Citu leaders have the last word in Park Street and its adjoining areas.

A section of hawkers claim that Abdul and Moktar of the CPM trade union wing control hawking in Park Street, Theatre Road, Jawaharlal Nehru Road and Camac Street — with the blessing of a prominent politician of the ruling front, who is a former MLA. According to hawker Faizal Ahmed, Citu toughs give protection to the encroachers after extracting princely protection money.

The duo is the key persons behind allocating space to new hawkers on Park Street's pavements, say sources. "From the area opposite Asiatic Society to Russell Street, more than 50 new hawkers have been given space, thanks to these Citu hawker union leaders," an officer of Park Street police station said.

The duo, in connivance with a section of Park Street police officers, have allegedly ensured that hawkers are not disturbed in any way. At the heart of this mess is a king's ransom — an annual turnover of over Rs 1,500 crore. The big guns and the small fries, everyone has a share of this pie.

The rate for hawkers on Park Street varies, according to the kind of business. While a hawker selling snacks will have to cough up Rs 35,000 to get 20-30 sq feet space on a Park Street pavement, the rate is slightly lower for sweet sellers. "I was charged Rs 25,000," said Samar Kundu, who sells sweets in the area. Every hawker has to pay up, sources say. There are no considerations or concessions.

Take for example Naimul Haque, a physically challenged teenager, who wanted to open a tea stall on Theatre Road. When Naimul approached a Citu leader, he was allegedly asked to cough up Rs 20,000 in cash. But by that time, Naimul had set up his stall on a verbal assurance from another Citu leader. "When Naimul pleaded that he was not in a position to offer that much money, he was asked to move to some other place," said a leader of another union.

That is not all. Police also want their pound of flesh from the encroachers. "Be it a simple bidi seller or the owner of a biryani stall, everyone has to satisfy the policemen's demand," said a hawker on Park Street. " Each of us has to shell out Rs 300 a month," said another.

Park Street, Theatre Road, Camac Street, Esplanade and BBD Bag are part of the Central Business District and form a vital zone for hawkers. According to an estimate given by hawkers' unions, those in the CBD area have a monthly turnover of Rs 30 crore. "No less than 25 per cent of this amount is distributed among hawker unions and police. Besides, hawkers have to pay 'goonda tax' to local rowdies," a hawker said. Those who don't may have their stalls wrecked by the hooligans or worse.

Citu state president Shyamal Chakrabarty, however, claimed he is not aware of the alleged backing given to hawkers. "It is a local issue. Ask the Kolkata Citu leaders," was all he said.

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Re: [mukto-mona] Tajuddin Ahmad: An Unsung Hero

WRT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/49155

If you get a chance, you all should watch almost an hour long documentary on Tajuddin "Nihsongo Saothi" directed by Tanvir Mokammel.
-SC


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Re: [mukto-mona] Humayun Ahmed's comments

WRT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/49153

"Humayun Ahmed told the truth bluntly, He has the courage to tell the truth.I wish most writers in Bangladesh take lesson from this interview."----------Mr. Mohiuddin
 
Humayun Ahmed said many things to which all progressive people will not agree. He also said other things to which all progressive people will agree and at the same time which will startle/scare all religion merchants and anti liberation forces. Humayun Ahmed wishes that the 1971 war criminals could be tried by the current CTG as he has justifiably lost all confidence in AL or BNP. May I ask Mr. Mohiuddin his opinion on this stance of Humayun Ahmed? From the various posts of Mr. Mohiuddin one may conclude that Mr. Mohiuddin will not endorse Humayun Ahmed's aspiration with regard to trying war criminals. If I remember correctly (please correct me if I am wrong), he believes that an attempt to try the war criminals will simply divide the nation into two camps.
 
-SC   


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[ALOCHONA] RAW is enemy of Bangaladesh, China Nepal and Pakistan

RAW is enemy of Bangaladesh, China Nepal and Pakistan

Dr. Sabitri Chaudhary

I..K. Gujral, former prime minister of India and Nepal's friend, was sent off to Russia during the late Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi's era. He was trained under the Russian Communist ideology and was assigned to look after a project called RAW whose objective was to build a strong Indian spy network in Asian and achieve Indian stronghold in the region.

The modus operandi of RAW was to interfere in the neighboring nation's internal affairs in such a way that they are engulfed in their won internal affairs and India could freely interfere in their internal affairs; encroach their border as well. The recent publication of a false report on the Internet against Nepal and Pakistan shows how unprofessionally this organization is operating.

Though the Indian government has denied any official bearing on the report, when over it comes in terms to the issue related to Nepal, the Indian foreign policy makers, ruling parties, opposition parties and the media unite together share a common negative perspective against Nepal. This way, it can never be accepted that the India government had no hands in publicising the report.

The fabrication of fictional characters and their terrorist activities are woven with such a lie that any civilized and democratic nation anywhere in the world would find it amusing to see the seasoned Indian propagandists lose so much of their credibility. RAW interfered in Sri Lanka affairs and the impact it created is still disturbed the peaceful country, was almost split in to two nations. As the saving goes, "he who's the witch acts as the witch acts as the witch doctor himself", the present Indian BJP government has now allotted USD $ 10 million as aid to the Sri Lanka government which is a paradox.

Bhutanese refugee problem in Nepal was also formulated by RAW from which Nepal is suffering a lot. RAW is also assisting the Nepali Maoists movement in supplying weapons and conducting guerrilla training and identifying remote and inaccessible 22 districts like Rolpa, Rukum, and Jajarkot for easy Maoists operation. Though Sri Lanka has been granted economic aids, the BJP government on the other hand neither takes any initiative to solve the root cause there nor does it speak anything against the Tamil Nadu leader Karuna Nidhi of DMK to stop his activities in Sri Lanka.. India is also not free from the risk of being split up from problems with ULF As and Kashmiries.

But to cover it all up, to put an illusion on its own citizens, the government is performing all these theatrical gestures like providing donations to Sri Lanka. Unlike the Himalayan Blunder of 1962, the late Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi had to enforce his military force into Sri Lanka to settle problems which India itself had created earlier.. Later, the Indian army was compelled to pull out in defeat bearing a loss of more than 1500 army personnel.

As the saying goes: "those who plan poison tree well later be eaten up by the same tree", Rajeev Gandhi was assassinated by the Tamils themselves. Likewise, late Indira Gandhi also had planted a poisonous tree in the name of Saint General Singh Vindarwala. The interference of the Indian forces in the holy Punjabi Golden Temple in Amritsar, the killings of the separatists all added up to the assassination of Indira Gandhi. It is because the poisonous tree she had planted earlier had grown old and she couldn't uproot it. This is the price the Indian are paying for separating Bangladesh from Pakistan. The Pakistanis are now in possession of nuclear weapons.

Maybe they didn't succeed in making Punjab and independent nation, but they won't let Kashmir issue passes away easily. Like 'tit for tat' the Pakistani Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) is there to counter the RAW. There are so many spy networks working under-cover of diplomatic mission. But still Nepal has not been able to carry out any action against Raw. On the other hand, the situation in Bangladesh is also not stable.

The People's Republic of China is also fighting Muslim separatists and it is being extra sensitive to the Indian politics. Down south, the military government of Burma is also facing separatist power though they are suppressing their people by military rule. What I want to point out from all the above scenarios is "What is the sole element responsible for such instability? The ultimate cause is the infamous organization RAW and its unethical activities. Because of not only the Bangaladesh and Pakistan are are suffering but also even Indian herself is in a big trauma and has already started explaining about cross border terrorism.

http://bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidDate=2005-08-17&hidType=OPT&hidRecord=0000000000000000056999

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Re: [mukto-mona] Humayun Ahmed's comments

Re:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/49134
(Humayun Ahmed's comments )

"Humayun Ahmed is a gifted/ talented writer"

Sure he is according to Bangladeshi readers. His appeal is local/
domestic, his appeal cannot cross beyond that narrow BD border because
his mentality is bounded too, He does not have the broadness of mind like
true scholars. He does not appeal to Bangla speaking readers in india.
he is not well known outside Bangladeshi borders. Bangladeshi readers
do not serve as reliable criterion to measure greatness. And it is
laughable for Humayun Ahmed to criticize the language of Humayun Azad's
novel because he himself uses coarse language. for example just
consider this:

"Harami'r Bachcha Tor Maar'e Ami...," in his "famous" novel "Parapar."

He has studied in USA and exploited his degree from USA to further his
career in DU but he mocks anything US (in fact anything western).
Hypocrisy or what. He is good at taking cheapshots and stunts. he
invited street urchins for a lunch at Sheraton once. How much of his
profit from his book sales has he spent for social work/education? he
has spent it to build deluxe resort house in St. Martin Island. He
cannot pronounce Bangla correctly. It is no surprise that he will
condemn the anti-islamic writing of Humayun Azad. He is a closet
Islamist himself. There is nothing in his writing or saying that
reveals otherwise.

TJ Khan

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[ALOCHONA] Time to bring 'boundary violation'before UN

BORDER SHOOTOUT LINKED TO 'TRANSIT' ISSUE?

Time to bring 'boundary violation'before UN

 

M. Shahidul Islam

 

The Indian adventurism is climaxing to an unacceptable height and there seems hatred for innocent lives. The killing of two BDR personnel by the BSF on July 17 inside 1.5 km of Bangladesh territory is a grisly act of provocation and an intentional violation of Bangladesh's territorial integrity and national sovereignty.
   Three other deaths and two more injuries sustained by innocent Bangladeshis ever since is indicative of the unfolding of a new type of pressure tactic that India wants to employ to squeeze the government in Dhaka to comply with some of Delhi's longstanding demands before the Caretaker Government quits power.
   Never since April 16, 2001, when a heavily armed BSF battalion conducted a sneaky night operation to retake 6.5 km of Bangladesh territory in Padua, there had been an incursion of this nature inside Bangladesh territory. The BDR soldiers defended their motherland at that time with utmost valour and compelled the enemy to flee after having lost 16 of their soldiers and dozens of injuries.
   According to a reliable source, the intrusion by BSF 1.5 km inside Bangladesh territory in Raghunathpur under Chapai-Nawabganj district coincided with a 'non-conclusive' bilateral meeting of the two foreign secretaries in which the transit and the trans-shipment issues were not given as receptive an attention by Bangladesh as India would have liked, and sought.
   The source says the proposition made hours before the incident by Bangladesh foreign secretary, Towhid Hossain, to defer the matter of any discussion on transit and trans-shipment until the election of a new government in Bangladesh was viewed by India as a sign of non-compliance by a weak neighbour.
   Even if that is true, should that have sparked such inhuman a reaction from India?
   Some observers say the timing for the escalation in border tension was intentionally chosen by Delhi to deflate public attention from the ongoing crisis that has plagued the Indian government since a motley alliance of leftist parties decided to withdraw from the UPA coalition, prompting a confidence vote in the parliament. That seems unlikely.
   What looks certain now is: As things unfolded since the July 17 incursion inside Bangladesh, the Indian ploy has proved to be as much a short-sighted brinkmanship as it was a wrong gambit diced at a wrong time. Months away from a general election, the voters in Bangladesh are likely to take such external aggressions as unprovoked threats to their national security and may vote into power a party that may chose not to be in accord with many of India's 'sensitive demands'.
   The long-term consequence of these ongoing incidents, hence, will be too detrimental for Delhi as the people in Bangladesh have already begun to rally behind the government and the armed forces to forestall the recurrence of similar incidents.
   Sources say, prior to the ongoing Deputy Director General (DDG)-level meeting between the two border forces in Kolkata, both sides have reinforced military capabilities at strategic bordering areas and the BDR is learnt to have requested for deployment of strong Fire Support Units (FSU) along vulnerable and easily accessible spots of the borders in anticipation of further Indian incursions.
   Why such an escalation? One of the reasons could be that, the matter was made worse by the uncoordinated statements and spinning by the Indian government and the media. Since July 17, India has been cooking up stories to absolve itself from the crime of territorial violation of another sovereign nation and the commission of an act of manslaughter that resulted in deaths of two uniformed soldiers of another country 1.5 km deep inside the defenders' territory.
   In a statement on July 18, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka narrated the story in the most incredulous and unconvincing manner. The statement blamed Bangladesh media of inaccurate reporting and said, "On the basis of a specific input on cattle smuggling along river Ganga (Padma), on the night of July 17-18, 2008, the 108th Battalion of the BSF noted movement of cattle and their smugglers in the area of border outpost Nimtita (Malda Sector of West Bengal). The BSF river-wing pursued the cattle smugglers who were travelling in boats in Indian territory. These smugglers fired at the BSF upon which BSF retaliated. During this exchange of fire, one BSF constable sustained serious bullet injuries."
   The press release makes heroes out of cattle smugglers and overlooks an incident of hot pursuit and perplexingly it also remains totally oblivious to the unwarranted killing of BDR personnel and of BSF's intrusion into another sovereign country.
   The statement from the Indian High Commission concludes by saying, "A flag meeting between local BSF and BDR commanders held on July 18 decided to refer the matter to higher authorities after detailed investigation, the results of which would be shared between the two sides."
   An investigation does not necessarily get translated into justice, which alone can ensure the non-recurrence of such incidents in future. India must realise that acts of these kinds relegate its international stature into a bundle of paradox in so far as its aspiration to become a permanent member of the UN is concerned. Responsible UN members - let alone permanent members - do not encourage and enjoy shooting of innocent people across their borders.
   Besides, while the Indian High Commission pinned the blame on Bangladesh media for inaccurate reporting, the Indian media had resorted to outright lies to offer a fig leaf of some sort to the crime of its border forces.
   A Press Trust of India (PTI) report claimed on July 19, "The local official in Murshidabad district said the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) men opened fire when guards of the Border Security Force (BSF) were chasing cattle smugglers at Nimtita area, forcing them to retaliate."
   An Indian citizen now in custody inside Bangladesh, who was privy to the incident, claimed such a version as false and explained how and when the BSF started shooting first.
   Yet, the PTI - which is the official Indian news agency - quoted the BSF's DIG as having said to the district magistrate of Murshidabad, Subir Kumar Bhadra, "The report I have received from the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), BSF, is that there was some trespass from the international border from the Bangladesh side. There were two to three causalities of BDR and some soldiers have been injured. I have asked the DIG, BSF, to give me detailed report for onward transmission to the government."
   Outraged by these diversionary and deceitful official reactions from India and Delhi's insensitive efforts to cover up wanton murders inside another sovereign nation, the Foreign Office in Dhaka lodged a strong protest the same day with the Indian government, reiterating that, "Bangladesh underscores the fact that it views the action of the BSF as totally unacceptable". The protest note of the foreign office expressed hope that the "Indian authorities will take appropriate action against those responsible and ensure that such incident will not recur."
   That the incident is recoiling badly on India can be gleaned from the statement made by Touhid Hossain, the foreign secretary, who had just returned from Delhi at the conclusion of the two-day-long annual talks held to improve bilateral ties between the two neighbours.
   Hossain said upon his return to Dhaka on July 20, "It is unacceptable that 73 Bangladeshi civilians have been killed this year by Indian border guards. I told my counterpart (External Affairs Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon) that India is our friendly neighbour. Such huge number of the civilians' killing is unacceptable."????
   Touhid Hossain is a suave diplomat of militarily weaker nation and his limitations are unlimited. That is why his discreet outcry did little to put an end to Indian BSF's barbarity, and two more Bangladeshi civilians were seriously injured along the Lalmonirhat and Mymensingh borders on the night of July 20 as the BDR's DDG boarded onto a flight for Kolkata to eke out a negotiation with his Indian counterpart.
   Given that such negotiations do not make India stop killing, and the numbers of deaths in BSF's hands have crossed the mark of 500 in the last five years alone, some members of the citizenry want the government to raise the issues of frequent violation of Bangladesh's territorial integrity by Indian forces - and of unprovoked killings - with the UN.

 


SECURITY VULNERABILITY OF CORRIDOR

Politics & economics of Indiantransit demand

Sadeq Khan

Between His Excellency Pinak Ranjan Charkabarty, the Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh talking to the press on July 10, and the 108 BSF battalion of Nimtita border post of India crossing into Bangladesh avowedly in hot pursuit of smugglers but actually killing two members of BDR patrol on July 17, the Indian demand for land route transit facility through Bangladesh to connect its north-eastern parts has been struck dumb. "We are interested in transit and we will remain so," H.E. Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty said after meeting foreign adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury on July 10.
   Vernacular newspapers in Dhaka reported, as also did some Indian newspapers, that India wanted the issue of transit to be settled in July 17-18 meeting in Delhi between Indian and Bangladesh delegations at the Foreign Secretaries level. H.E. Pinak R. Charkabarty rebuked the politicians and the press for politicisation of the issue over the years: "This is not a political issue at all. It is an economic issue. I don't see any reason why it should be politicised to this extent."
   Transit and security are the two issues India will put at the top of the agenda at the Foreign Secretaries level bilateral talks, he said.
   It was not what the Indian High Commissioner said, but the way he said it, along with the tone of transit demand as reported in the Indian media, that was found inappropriate by many in Bangladesh who raised a hue and cry. The essence of dissent to transit in Bangladesh boiled down to four major points. (i) If India considered its security vulnerable to free passage through an 18-mile land corridor between Nepal and Bangladesh, how could Bangladesh grant free land transit to India over the full breadth of Bangladesh territory to reach insurgency-infected Indian North-East, Traffic on such transit route would become targets of covert attack by Indian insurgents endangering national security. (ii) Economically, providing a second land corridor for Indian North-East through Bangladesh to Calcutta port, which is already well-connected through India's own Shiliguri corridor, does not make sense to land-starved Bangladesh. The road-infrastructure of Bangladesh is already overloaded with internal traffic, and there is no room to sell to heavy foreign traffic. Cost of maintenance of such a corridor and social cost of agricultural land loss for necessary expansion of such heavily used corridor will not be commensurate with optimum service charges that Bangladesh may gain from Indian transit traffic. (iii) There will be loss of potential exports to Northeast India from Bangladesh and hardly any trade gains. On the other hand, transit facility will facilitate open-country smuggling and dumping of cheap Indian products deep in Bangladesh territory whereas access of Bangladesh products to Indian markets would be shackled by para-tariff and non-tariff barriers. Only SAARC connectivity and Asian Railway connectivity could help Bangladesh trade for destinations in and beyond India on the one hand and Myanmar on the other. (iv) After thirty four years of signing of the Indira-Mujib agreement, we are still awaiting completion of land border delineation and the transfer of only a tiny tin-bigha corridor to connect with our India-locked enclaves in Angarpota-Dahagram. Our South Talpatty island is held by India. Our frontier inhabitants are being randomly fired on and killed by Indian border-guards. Upstream river diversions by India are depriving us of surface water supply in the lean season and causing salinity spread inland destroying our ecological balance. How could we give priority to Indian unilateral demand for transit putting aside such vital issues deserve to be addressed first?
   It is the last reasoning that was picked up by the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Touhid Hossain before he flew to New Delhi for the scheduled bilateral talks. He told the press that decisions on important bilateral issues are not usually taken at his level, and no decision would be taken at the Foreign Secretaries level meeting. Bangladesh would discuss the Indian demand for transit in the overall context of pending bilateral issues and problems between the two countries. For reducing the huge trade deficit with the bigger economic neighbour that currently stands at more than $1.9 billion, Bangladesh would urge India to take unilateral measures that include removal of non-tariff barriers to Bangladeshi exports, duty-free access of Bangladeshi products to Indian market and mutual recognition of standard. There were also the issues of implementing the Land Boundary Agreement, border demarcation of the remaining 6.5 km, early convening of meeting of the Joint Boundary Working Group, unfettered access through Tinbigha corridor, exchange of enclaves and adversely possessed territories, the killing of unarmed civilians by the Indian BSF, early convening of the 37th session of the Joint Rivers Commission.
   The week of July 10 to July 17 was filled with public debate in meetings and in the media over the swagger of Indian demand for land corridor in the name of transit. It is unfortunate that the tenor of Indian High Commissioner's comments was found offensive by many in Bangladesh. That offended feeling was heightened by a reported comment by US Ambassador James F. Moriarty in Dhaka, in his tea party for various political party leaders in private, that it would be fair for Bangladesh to extend transit facility to India. Some saw dark clouds in the horizon and quoted MK Bhadrakumar, a former Indian diplomat, who in a dissertation on Asia Times Online observed that India's strategic community hold a belief that it is time India began to flex its muscles in its region. Indeed, he observed, US think-tankers routinely encourage their counterparts to believe that India is far too shy and reticent for a serious regional power in the exercise of its muscle power.
   As if in fulfilment of their foreboding, the border skirnish occurred in July 17, in which instead of responding as per rules to a challenge by a BDR patrol within Bangladesh borders along the Padma in Chapainawabganj, an intruding BSF battalion opened fire and killed two BDR men. Within a gap of two days thereafter, two Bangladeshi farmers were killed by BSF fire from the other side of the Indian fence at Panchpirtala land border in Jessore district of Bangladesh. The government had meanwhile lodged a 'strong protest' with the Indian government against BSF's encroachment into Bangladeshi territorial waters and the killing of two BDR personnel at Raghunathpur in Chapainawabganj. Several political parties and non-government organisations strongly condemned the killing of two BDR men by India's BSF, about 1.5 kilometres inside Bangladesh territory.
   The Foreign Secretary on return from New Delhi said, the killing of Bangladeshi nationals by BSF fire across the border at random was "unacceptable."
   The Indian High Commissioner denied the incident and issued the following excuse: "On the basis of a specific input on cattle smuggling along river Ganga (Padma), on the night of July 17-18, 2008, the 108th Battalion of the BSF noted movement of cattle and their smugglers in the area of border outpost Nimtita (Malda Sector of West Bengal). The BSF river-wing pursued the cattle smugglers who were travelling in boats in Indian territory. These smugglers fired at the BSF upon which BSF retaliated. During this exchanges of fire, one BSF constable sustained serious bullet injuries."
   The Indian High Commission's press release also acknowledged the need for better border cooperation: "Cross-border crimes like cattle smuggling are a menace for both countries that occasionally cause firing incidents, mostly in the night. These illegal activities and firing incidents, which sometimes lead to regrettable loss of lives on both sides along the border, need to be tackled through joint efforts and mechanisms."
   But sentiments in Bangladesh have not been mollified. The outright denial of the killings further aggravated the sense of distrust and antipathy towards Indian "big brother". However, instead of harping on such negative factors, I quote below a positive multimodal alternative that Mr. Abu Reza, a Transport Economist of Bangladesh and a former World Bank economic advisor in Africa, has offered to be considered to satisfy the land transit demand of India: "In the area of transit transport, Bangladesh, after gaining independence in December 1971, restored the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade in 1972, which was suspended by the Pakistan authorities after the Indo-Pak war of 1965. This protocol allows India to make full use of the most important and cost effective transit operation on as many as eight inland waterway routes. India is making the most successful use of the facility, as the phenomenal increase in India's transit traffic through Bangladesh since 1972 will bear out........
   Within SAARC, cooperation between India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, can be more easily enhanced. In fact, India, Nepal and Bhutan can particularly benefit from the low cost Bangladesh inland water transport facilities, as the Indian experience will confirm. There is urgent need for Indian consideration to allow Nepal-Bangladesh road transit to operate up to the river heads in Bangladesh, whereby these two countries can benefit from low cost Bangladesh inland water transport and sea ports. So, a combination of road and water-ways, through India and Bangladesh, would enormously benefit the two land-locked countries, thus lessening the burden on the Calcutta port.
   Bangladesh has made enormous, disproportionate investment in highway construction to enhance inter-district connectivity by road, perhaps ignoring the full potential of inland water transport, which offered relatively low transportation cost on many of the comparable routes. Nonetheless, the standard of its highways remains poor and dangerous compared to the minimum standards adopted for any international highway. .....
   Demand for transit through Bangladesh by India, Nepal and Bhutan, can be met for a much higher level of traffic if the depth of Bangladesh rivers can be increased with cooperation from India. There is a possibility that larger vessels can be used at lower unit cost through-out the year. The withdrawal of waters by erecting barrages across almost all rivers, including the Ganges, has been detrimental for everyone, including India's interest in terms of securing year-round transit facility from the low cost inland water transport system.. For Bangladesh, it (upstream withdrawal particularly at Farakka) has been an economic disaster......
   Bangladesh highway system, as its very low standard of safety would confirm, is not fit for heavy road transit traffic. Besides, the high cost of fuel and steel, which are likely to go even higher, will make road transport operation increasingly more prohibitive for all the countries, apart from the environmental damage the heavy road traffic would inflict on the country.
   Bangladesh has no aggregate. Thus, road building based on imported aggregates and bitumen, among other imported items, will make road transit haulage less viable economically. However, there are many other technical issues, which would need in-depth examination by the concerned experts. Thus, for everybody's interest, the Bangladesh inland water transport system should be urgently revived.
   India can make the most important contribution by releasing not only the agreed upon quantity of water but also by augmenting its discharge."
   The Reza plan thus combines India's transit requirements with our vital requirements for river-saving and water-sharing. Mr. Reza also drew attention to possible continental connectivity that might be obtained by pursing his proposed multimodal alternative, which I fully endorse: "There are relevant UN conventions to which all the concerned countries are parties. Conceivably, a SAARC version of a convention allowing for the TIR (Transport International Routier) Carnet and TIR Carnet du passage en Doune may be adopted in the inland waterway transit field, which could be undertaken under the auspices of SAARC and be applicable in the entire SAARC region, from Bangladesh up to Afghanistan....... In fact up to the whole of Central Asia. A scenario can be envisaged whereby India could be a potential transit and transport bridge between East Asia and Central Asia."

 

BSF shootouts: Does Indiawant friendship?

 

No sooner had the ink of our editorial [Transit issue vis-୶is the Constitution] urging for good sense and amity dried up than the rude shock came about the killing of two BDR soldiers by BSF men over a kilometre inside Bangladesh territory. This ghastly act was done on a day when Bangladesh foreign secretary sat in Delhi with his Indian counterpart to discus bilateral issues. What could be the motive of the Delhi policy makers? Was it to terrorise Dhaka again or to remind once more of India's overwhelming mighty presence? Is she not defying the UN Charter and international law that stipulate respect for territorial integrity and the inviolability of internationally recognised borders?
   To look back, our big neighbour seldom bothered about diplomatic niceties, and hence Dhaka's relations -- which were more than warm for valid historical factors of 1971 ? began to be cool within four years of independence, during the Mujib regime. Emergence of Bangladesh as an independent entity could offer India two most significant gains: a grateful friend on the east with whom to build close, lasting bond of friendship on the basis of give and take; and weakening of Pakistan on the west ? thereby saving billions of Rupees from Delhi's defence budget.
   The bereaved survivors of lance nayek Shri Krishna Pada Das, have cremated his body and havildar Hannan Sarker buried in a graveyard, but the bruise will remain until appropriate action is taken by the Indian authority. Bullying and big-brotherly jingoistic attitude of India has long been viewed by Bangladeshis as a tactic to induce fear. Is this called friendship? Among others 251 teachers of the Dhaka University in a joint press statement decried the dastardly act of India on a sovereign country to subdue Bangladesh ignoring bilateral agreement between the two countries and criticised Dhaka's submissive foreign policy.
   But the nation is surprised and shocked to see that the former valiant sector commanders of the Liberation War, the great patriots, are quite mute over repeated horrid slaughters. It will be indeed saddening if the people here feel frustrated. We believe peoples of both the countries will abhor a repeat performance Indian brutality.
   Not long after the emergence of Bangladesh a section of the Indian press began printing fabricated stories about Bangladesh which continues unabated. What is appalling is that even a very senior columnist of octogenarian Kamath's stature gave us a jarring dither when he wrote in the Organiser in 2005: "Bangladesh is rift-ridden country which, in the first place, has no right to exist." On rare occasions some unbiased journalists also revealed the truth. For instance, a few years ago Bangla literary magazine Desh headlined its cover-story thus: Protibeshider shathay Bharater dadagiri [India's domineering attitude towards its neighbours]
   The Indian High Commission has categorically denied the involvement of India's BSF in the killing of two members of the BDR on Thursday night, and distorted the fact claiming that the incident occurred along the border and that it was a sequel to firing by smugglers on the BSF personnel. And the state-run Press Trust of India demonstrated, to say the least, the height of inaccuracy in journalism.
   Territorial integrity and sovereignty are the corner stones of a nation; no independent country can allow any interference in these matters. Bagladesh has consistently pursued an independent, non-aligned foreign policy to promote friendship with all countries of the world on the basis of mutual respect for sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. We hope Indian policy makers will see reason and take decision to remove all irritants in the bilateral relations of the two closest neighbours.
   As we observed previously, a good neighbour is a great blessing while the reverse of it is a misfortune. There is no doubt that as a neighbour Bangladesh certainly and definitely cherishes lasting friendly relations with India based on understanding and cooperation for mutual benefit.

 

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[ALOCHONA] Re: taj hasmi refutes Eliza Griswold

It's an excellent article by Taj Hashmi.  The problem with Islamic terrorists in Bangladesh is insignifact when the same is compared to Pakistan.  The Bangladeshis are less militant, less violent, and more liberal (or secular) than the Pakis.  Our women are moving forward at a pace lot faster than Pakistan's. 

Once again to the newcomer in Alochona who wholeheartedly denies the vicious rapes and brutal murders committed by his forefathers in 1971, I 100% stand by those two articles in Newsweek and National Geographic (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alochona/message/8610) about Pakistan.  Eliza Griswold has been criticized widely for the New York Times article on Bangladesh and very few agreed with her exaggeration.  But how many disagreed with those two articles about Pakistan, the country which proudly hosts all the top leaders of Al Qaeda and where a march easily can draw millions of people in favor of Bin Laden? (Their govt denies the existence of Al Qaeda in their soil though and we all believe them.)

--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, "Saj" <SAJJAD_PAK@...> wrote:
>
> Asalam Alaikum
>
> So the same western media, which was telling that Pakistani becoming terrorists country is now gonig to declare Bangladesh as territorist country?
>
> Mr. Musasarkar may like to comment on it.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Saj
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Adhiraj Bose
> To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 12:55 PM
> Subject: [ALOCHONA] taj hasmi refutes Eliza Griswold
>
>
>
>
> Bangladesh: The Next Taliban State?
>
> Published: February 9, 2005
>
> Taj Hashmi
> Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada
>
> One who knows Bangladesh and Islam has every reason to be surprised
> and worried about the recent posting by Eliza Griswold in the New
> York Times magazine (January 23, 2005) entitled, "The Next Islamist
> Revolution?" I have nothing to be worried about Griswold's abysmal
> ignorance about Islam and Bangladesh. What is worrisome is the way
> the writer has demonised both Islam and Bangladesh, totally ignoring
> the positive aspects of the third largest Muslim country, which is a
> functional democracy, no longer considered a "basket case"- the way
> Henry Kissinger portrayed the country in 1972. This cry wolf in the
> long run is going to benefit the evil "Islamists" to the detriment of
> freedom and democracy. Hence this rejoinder.
>
> This, however, does not mean that all is well in Bangladesh. There
> are elements of truth in a Time magazine story ("State of disgrace",
> April 12, 2004), which has classified the country as Asia's "most
> dysfunctional country" for the level of violence, corruption and
> political disharmony. Endemic violence, killing of political
> opponents through bombs and assassins, persecution of opposition
> leaders and supporters by using state machinery by the ruling power,
> systematic plunder of national wealth by bank defaulters, tax evaders
> and rampant corruption at every level are growing. The Transparency
> International has singled out this over-populated poor country,
> consecutively in the last four years, as the most corrupt.
>
> Since mid-2004, members of the newly created Rapid Action Battalions
> have summarily executed around 300 known killer-extortionists,
> euphemistically in "cross-firing". Not only senior cabinet ministers
> are justifying these extra-judicial killings of criminals and
> suspects, but also the public in general (with the exceptions of
> handful of politicians, intellectuals and human rights activists) are
> happy about the "cleansing process". This is ominous. People are
> celebrating killing as the prevailing chaos, possibly heading towards
> anarchy, has desensitised the polity. Although nothing positive is
> forthcoming from this state of terror and lawlessness, but it is too
> trite a platitude to assume that only "Islamist terror" is
> responsible for the chaos. One should not blame an
> undefined "Islamist terror" for the prevalent violence in Bangladesh,
> as some Western "experts" blamed Muslims for the crime of Timothy
> McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber in 1995.
>
> Griswold is not the first Western writer to draw such an alarmist
> picture of Bangladesh. In April 2002, Bertil Lintner wrote a similar
> sensational piece in the Far Eastern Economic Review and the Wall
> Street Journal, that an Islamist revolution was taking place in the
> hills of this over-populated country. Fortunately for Bangladesh, the
> then US ambassador Mary Anne Peters registering her anger at the FEER
> and WSJ for publishing such biased articles on "a liberal Muslim
> nation" demanded an investigation to find out the motive behind the
> story. Philip Bowring, former editor of the FEER, also came forward
> to criticise the Western "Islam-bashers", including Dow Jones, who
> owns the periodical. Bangladeshis in general condemned Lintner, as
> they are now condemning Griswold for good reasons.
>
> However, what is surprising that Sheikh Hasina, the leader of the
> opposition in the parliament belonging to the Awami League, not only
> favours such alarmist stories but she has been persistently
> portraying the present coalition government of Prime Minister Khaleda
> Zia as "pro-Taliban", "Pro-Pakistan" and "anti-Bangladesh". The
> ruling coalition also vilifies Hasina and her party as "Pro-Indian"
> and "enemies of Islam". It is noteworthy that while Hasina was the
> Prime Minister during President Clinton's visit to Bangladesh in
> March 2000, her government warned Clinton about the "impending
> threat" of terrorist attacks on Clinton by Islamic militants. It is
> interesting that on the eve of the parliamentary elections in
> Bangladesh in October 2001, not long after the Nine-Eleven, posters
> on city walls in Dhaka emerged with images of Bin Laden and Khaleda
> Zia, portraying them as "friends". Since losing the elections of
> 2001, Hasina has been projecting the government as illegitimate and
> the two Jamaat-i-Islami cabinet ministers as Taliban agents. One
> wonders if Griswold met only avid Awami supporters while preparing
> the factually wrong and analytically bizarre article on Bangladesh.
>
> An appraisal of political Islam in Bangladesh requires an
> understanding of the socio-economic and cultural aspects of the
> polity. The separation of East Pakistan in 1971 from Islam-oriented
> Pakistan in the name of Bengali nationalism apparently signalled the
> departure of "political Islam" in Bangladesh. Soon after its
> emergence, Bangladesh adopted the four-pronged state ideology of
> nationalism, democracy, socialism and secularism. However, soon Islam
> re-emerged as an important factor in the country, both socially and
> politically. Since the overthrow of the first civilian government by
> a military coup d'etat in August 1975, Islam-oriented state ideology
> replaced "secularism" and "socialism". Not long after his ascendancy
> as the new ruler in November 1975, General Ziaur Rahman (Zia)
> replaced the outwardly secular "Bengali nationalism" propounded by
> its founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Mujib), with "Bangladeshi
> nationalism". One may argue that "Bangladeshi" is inclusive of the
> different non-Bengali minorities- nevertheless the term highlights
> the Muslim identity of the country, differentiating its Muslim
> majority Bengalis from the Hindu Bengalis in India.
>
> It seems, after the failure of the "socialist-secular-Bengali-
> nationalist" Mujib government, his military successors, Zia (1975-
> 1981) and Ershad (1982-1990), realized the importance of "political
> Islam" to legitimize their rule. Hence the rapid Islamization of the
> polity. This is not typical to Bangladesh. Egypt, Algeria and
> Pakistan under Bhutto, for example, which also went
> through "socialist" and "secular" phases of their history turned
> to "political Islam" under their successors. The post-Mujib
> oligarchs, very similar to their post-Nasser-Boumediene-Bhutto
> counterparts, hardly realized that by espousing "political Islam"
> they created their Frankenstein's monsters.
>
> Since Bangladesh is the third largest Muslim country in the world
> (after Indonesia and Pakistan), it is only natural to assume that
> Islam will play an important role in moulding its politics and
> culture while around 90 per cent of the population are Muslims-most
> importantly, representing one of the poorest, least literate and most
> backward sections of the world population. If mass poverty, and
> illiteracy have any positive correlation with Islamic resurgence,
> then Bangladesh has to be a fertile breeding ground of what is
> wrongly defined as "Islamic fundamentalism". However, despite its
> poverty, backwardness and the preponderance of Islamic ethos in the
> main streams of its politics and culture, Bangladesh is not just
> another Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia or even Pakistan. Despite
> having several Islamic groups - some militant but most
> pacifist/devotional -the vast majority of Bangladeshi Muslims are
> least likely to become militant Islamists in the foreseeable future.
>
> However, the spate of violence in the country against religious and
> ethnic minorities and political rivals-and of late, against the
> Ahmadiyya Muslim minority sect-is very disturbing. Bomb attacks on
> political rallies, movie theatres, cultural shows besides the public
> and secret killing of political rivals in the last five years have
> taken hundreds of lives and maimed many. Although the attacks on the
> tiny Ahmadiyya community solely by the Islami zealots (singling out
> the victims as "non-Muslim" heretics) are proto-fascist by nature, we
> are not sure if certain Islamic fanatics are also behind the other
> acts of terror, rape and arson.
>
> Unfortunately, what Eliza Griswold has written about the "Islamist
> terror" in Bangladesh is grossly exaggerated, inaccurate, confusing
> and misleading. She has no idea about the similarities and
> differences between various Islamic groups and their leaders,
> the "great" and "little" traditions of Islam in the region and the
> difference between the mass/popular perceptions and the reality. She
> is too naïve to believe that rural Muslim women wear "makeshift
> burka" or shroud to cover their body, because of an Islamist
> militant, called Bangla Bhai, in parts of north-western Bangladesh.
>
> She again tells us about the strength and influence of Bangla Bhai,
> the main leader of a vigilante group of "Awakened Muslim Masses of
> Bangladesh". According to her finding, Bangla Bhai with "probably
> 10,000 followers" wanted to try "an Islamist revolution in several
> provinces of Bangladesh" last spring. She also thinks that this
> fanatic vigilante group "seemed to have enough lightly armed
> adherents to make its rule stick." Ironically for Griswold, the day
> before her article came out in the New York Times magazine, three
> Bangla Bhai cadres were brutally killed by local villagers in
> retaliation of killing of an Awami League leader on January 22nd.
> Bangla Bhai men were simply chased out by villagers and most of them
> are still absconding while the police arrested 65. It is beyond any
> stretch of the imagination that Bangla Bhai is "filling the power
> vacuum" while the government is "far away in Dhaka [less than 150
> miles] and is . divided on precisely this question of how much Islam
> and politics should mix".
>
> Griswold is simply unaware of the fact that Bangla Bhai, who possibly
> went to Afghanistan during the heydays of the Taliban, is being used
> by some local godfathers belonging to the ruling party to decimate
> the rising menace of some clandestine "Maoist" communist groups. One
> of the godfathers, an erstwhile "Maoist" and now a ruling party
> leader, has been using the armed cadres of Bangla Bhai, who have
> killed more than 15 "Maoists" and maimed many since last spring. In
> short, what is going on in some parts of northwestern Bangladesh does
> not bear any semblance of an Islamic revolution but looks like gang
> warfare for dominance and extortion, common in many unruly pockets in
> the Third World.
>
> Depending on laymen and unreliable sources, she tells us that
> Bangladesh "has become a haven" for jihadis in the wake of the Nine-
> Eleven and that there are Taliban training camps in the Chittagong
> hills run by madrassa (Islamic school) teachers and Afghan trained
> mujahedeen, surprisingly unnoticed by anyone in this over-populated
> country. She is even unaware of the fundamental differences and
> animosity between the Jamaat-i-Islami and the Deobandi "Wahhabi"
> mentors of the Taliban. She also narrates the absurd story about
> the "attempted murder" of poet Shamsur Rahman by two Harkat-ul-Jihad-
> ul-Islami (a pro-Taliban group) members in 1999. An attempted
> burglary by two men, over-powered by the unarmed wife and daughter-in-
> law of the elderly poet, somehow got wide publicity as a Taliban
> attack on the poet. This, however, does not mean that the so-
> called "Islamists" are not responsible for the recent killing of
> Bengali intellectuals and politicians.
>
> Having said this, I am thankful to Griswold, at least for projecting
> Bangladesh to draw global attention to the anarchic situation in the
> country. With a little bit of restrain and no cry wolf
> sensationalizing one should hit at the crux of the problem, the
> growing Islamic militancy everywhere, including Bangladesh. In this
> age of Globalization, everything is globalized, including terror.
> Unless the donors and others having influence on Bangladesh exert
> pressure on the government and opposition parties to establish the
> rule of law, and most importantly, equitable distribution of wealth
> and opportunities, including modern education, the country would head
> towards anarchy from the state of chaos. It is frightening that even
> the Prime Minister has no control over local godfathers and warlords
> who protect and promote "Islamist" thugs like the Bangla Bhai.
> Although the vast majority of Bengali Muslims do not believe in
> theocracy and terror, unless the lower middle classes and the poor
> get a sense of belonging to the state, which so far is only looking
> after the interests of the rich and powerful, the most corrupt
> elements in Bangladesh, extremism with a tinge of fascism (both
> secular and religious) would continue to dog the polity. We have
> lessons to learn from the rise of fascism in Europe in this regard.
>
> Jan 28, 2005.
>
> About the author:
>
> The author has a BA Hons and MA in Islamic History and a PhD in
> Modern South Asian History. He is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic
> Society of Great Britain. He has authored four books including, Women
> and Islam in Bangladesh (Macmillan, London 2000). He teaches modern
> history at Simon Fraser University, Canada. He taught at various
> universities in Bangladesh, Australia, Singapore and Canada. He is a
> co-convener of the movement, "No to Political Islam". Email Address:
> taj_hashmi@...
>

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[mukto-mona] Re: Solar option

WRT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/49140

Thank you Mr Ray for this very pertinent post at a time when
countries across the world are looking at their own energy security
by exploiting renewable energy sources. There are a few things that
the writer of this article leaves out, though. India is, as far as I
know, the only country in the world that offers 100% depreciation on
capital equipment used in generating electricity for captive use or
for supply to the national grid in 1 year of operation. No other
country in the world offers this as far as I know. Also, there is
100% duty exemption on the import of capital equipment for this
purpose, something that any entrepreneur who wishes to participate in
this industry, would do well to consider.

There are also some good plans being implemented elsewhere in the
world that India could try to emulate - the country is, of course,
exposed to sufficient sunlight that could be harnessed year round and
an example to emulate would be the California Million Solar Roof
Initiative which aims at putting solar collectors initially on the
roofs of all government owned buildings in that state and then on all
private properties whose owners are similarly interested in
participating in this program. There are also large scale Solar
Thermal Energy Conversion Systems being installed in Nevada and
Arizona and these would soon be set up in California as well. All of
these would work very well in India if there were a proper plan to
work in this area. Among professional bodies in India working towards
this goal, I wholeheartedly recommend the Society of Energy Engineers
and Managers of India who are working hard to put their message
across - they deserve a much greater sudience than they have at the
moment.

There are also some state initiatives that are to be commended though
I am not aware of any that have actually seen participation. The
Haryana Energy Development Authority has offered to buy electricity
generated from solar powerplants at RS 15.96 per unit and in
neighboring Punjab, PEDA is set to follow the Haryana example. There
are also large loans offered by the US Exim Bank through the State
Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, IDBI, SIDBI etc for the sale of
capital equipment related to renewable energy and I know that they
have allocated $ 2.2 billion for India alone. With the overwhelming
strength of the RUpee over the dollar at the moment, it would be a
good idea for entrepreneurs in India to look at buying solar
equipment from the USA these days instead of sending India's hard-
earned money to the Gulf to buy oil and burn it.

Thank you very much again for a very timely and pertinent to the
times post,

Mehul Kamdar


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Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm

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Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
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MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.

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Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary
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Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/


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MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari
http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm

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German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
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