Japan races to prevent nuke reactor meltdowns
KORIYAMA, Japan – Japan's nuclear crisis intensified Sunday as authorities raced to combat the threat of multiple reactor meltdowns and more than 180,000 people evacuated the quake- and tsunami-savaged northeastern coast where fears spread over possible radioactive contamination.Nuclear plant operators were frantically trying to keep temperatures down in a series of nuclear reactors — including one where officials feared a partial meltdown could be happening Sunday — to prevent the disaster from growing worse.But hours after officials announced the latest dangers to face the troubled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex, including the possibility of a second explosion in two days, there were few details about what was being done to bring the situation under control.Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Sunday that a hydrogen explosion could occur at the complex's Unit 3, the latest reactor to face a possible meltdown. That would follow a hydrogen blast Saturday in the plant's Unit 1, where operators attempted to prevent a meltdown by injecting sea water into it."At the risk of raising further public concern, we cannot rule out the possibility of an explosion," Edano said. "If there is an explosion, however, there would be no significant impact on human health."More than 180,000 people have evacuated as a precaution, though Edano said the radioactivity released into the environment so far was so small it didn't pose any health threats.Such statements, though, did little to ease public worries."First I was worried about the quake," said Kenji Koshiba, a construction worker who lives near the plant. "Now I'm worried about radiation." He spoke at an emergency center in Koriyama, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) from the troubled reactors and 125 miles (190 kilometers) north of Tokyo.Click image to see photos of quake, tsunami damage
AFP/Yomiuri ShimbunAt the makeshift center set up in a gym, a steady flow of people — mostly the elderly, schoolchildren and families with babies — were met by officials wearing helmets, surgical masks and goggles.About 1,500 people had been scanned for radiation exposure, officials said.Up to 160 people, including 60 elderly patients and medical staff who had been waiting for evacuation in the nearby town of Futabe, and 100 others evacuating by bus, might have been exposed to radiation, said Ryo Miyake, a spokesman from Japan's nuclear agency. The severity of their exposure, or if it had reached dangerous levels, was not clear.Edano said none of the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors was near the point of complete meltdown, and he was confident of escaping the worst scenarios.Officials, though, have declared states of emergency at six reactors — three at Dai-ichi and three at another nearby complex — after operators lost the ability to cool the reactors using usual procedures. Local evacuations have been ordered at each location. The U.N. nuclear agency said a state of emergency was also declared Sunday at another complex after higher-than-permitted levels of radiation were measured there. It said Japan informed it that all three reactors there were under control.A pump for the cooling system at yet another nuclear complex, the Tokai Dai-Ni plant, also failed after Friday's quake but a second pump operated normally as did the reactor, said the utility, the Japan Atomic Power Co. It did not explain why it reported the incident Sunday.All of the reactors at the complexes shut down automatically when the earthquake shook the region.But with backup power supplies also failing, shutting down the reactors is just the beginning of the problem, scientists said."You need to get rid of the heat," said Friedrich Steinhaeusler, a professor of physics and biophysics at Salzburg University and an adviser to the Austrian government on nuclear issues. "You are basically putting the lid down on a pot that is boiling.""They have a window of opportunity where they can do a lot," he said, such as using sea water as an emergency coolant. But if the heat is not brought down, the cascading problems can eventually be impossible to control. "This isn't something that will happen in a few hours. It's days."Edano, for his part, denied there had been a meltdown in the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex, but other officials said the situation was not so clear.Hidehiko Nishiyama, a senior official of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, indicated the reactor core in Unit 3 had melted partially, telling a news conference, "I don't think the fuel rods themselves have been spared damage," according to the Kyodo News agency.A complete meltdown — the collapse of a power plant's ability to keep temperatures under control — could release uranium and dangerous contaminants into the environment and pose major, widespread health risks.Experts noted, however, that even a complete meltdown would probably be far less severe than the 1986 disaster at Chernobyl, where a reactor exploded and sent a cloud of radiation over much of Europe. That reactor, unlike the ones in Fukushima, was not housed in a sealed container.The nuclear crisis was triggered by twin disasters on Friday, when an 8.9-magnitude earthquake, the most powerful in the country's recorded history, was followed by a tsunami that savaged its northeastern coast with breathtaking speed and power.More than 1,400 people were killed and hundreds more were missing, according to officials, but police in one of the worst-hit areas estimated the toll there alone was more than 10,000.The scale of the multiple disasters appeared to be outpacing the efforts of Japanese authorities to bring the situation under control.Rescue teams were struggling to search hundreds of miles (kilometers) of devastated coastline, and hundreds of thousands of hungry survivors huddled in darkened emergency centers cut off from rescuers and aid. At least 1.4 million households had gone without water since the quake, and food and gasoline were quickly running out across the region. Large areas of the countryside were surrounded by water and unreachable. Nearly 2 million households were without electricity.Starting Monday, power will be rationed with rolling blackouts in several cities, including Tokyo.The government doubled the number of troops pressed into rescue operations to about 100,000 from 51,000, as powerful aftershocks continued to rock the country. Hundreds have hit since the initial temblor.On Saturday, an explosion destroyed the walls and ceiling of Fukushima Dai-ichi's Unit 1 as operators desperately tried to prevent it from overheating and melting down by releasing steam.Officials were aware that the steam contained hydrogen and were risking an explosion by venting it, acknowledged Shinji Kinjo, spokesman for the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, but chose to do so because they needed to reduce the pressure.Officials insisted there was no significant radioactive leak after the explosion.Without power, and with its valves and pumps damaged by the tsunami, authorities resorted to drawing sea water mixed with boron in an attempt to cool the unit's overheated uranium fuel rods. Boron disrupts nuclear chain reactions.Operators also began using sea water to cool the complex's Unit 3 reactor after earlier attempts to lower its temperature failed, the U.N. Nuclear Agency said.The move likely renders the 40-year-old reactors unusable, said a foreign ministry official briefing reporters.He said radiation levels outside the plant briefly rose above legal limits, but had since declined significantly.Japan has a total of 55 reactors spread across 17 complexes nationwide.___Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo. Associated Press writers Tomoko A. Hosaka in Tokyo, Tim Sullivan in Bangkok and Jeff Donn in Boston contributed to this report.
Diesel electric train to be introduced in satellite towns of capital, port city by 2014
The government has taken an initiative to launch Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) train in a bid to reduce traffic congestion as well as to serve the commuters residing in and around the capital and the port city of Chittagong.With this objective, the government will procure 20 sets (3 units in one set) DEMU train through which at least 6,000 commuters will be able to travel at a time. The DEMU train routes will be Dhaka-Gazipur, Dhaka-Narayanganj, Dhaka-Narsingdi and Chittagong-Feni.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has recently approved a project titled `Procurement of 20 sets (3 unit in one set) DEMU’ at a cost of Tk 654.42 crore to be entirely borne from the government exchequer. The project is expected to be completed by June 2014.Of the total project cost, an allocation of Tk 51.70 crore has been earmarked for the current fiscal, Tk 14.44 crore for 2011-12 fiscal, Tk 585.30 crore for 2012-13 fiscal and Tk 2.97 crore for the 2013-14 fiscal.According to sources at the Bangladesh Railway, the DEMU is a modern and fast train communication system which will unveil a new era in the country’s rail communication. Once introduced, it is expected to reduce the traffic congestions of the satellite towns of Dhaka and Chittagong to some extent.At the same time, it is also expected to replace the existing slow engines of the passenger trains apart from fulfilling the demand of fast running passenger trains on the Dhaka-Gazipur, Dhaka-Narayanganj, Dhaka-Narsingdi, and Chittagong-Feni routes.Railway sources said that each of the DEMU could carry 100 passengers so as a set with three bogies would be able to carry 300 passengers. These DEMU trains are being introduced in the other big cities of the world to meet the growing demand of transport.The Communication Ministry sources said that the DEMU train is suitable for operation in satellite towns. The speed of such train can be accelerated and reduced more speedily compared to other conventional mail and express trains.The DEMU train can be operated in both ways without the need to turn round the engines. The units or bogies can also be separated or connected at a time.Each DEMU train consists of three units - Driving Power Car (DPC), Trailer Car (TC) and Driving Trailer Car (DTC). The ideal structure of a DEMU train could be of one, two or three sets according to the traffic demand.Planning Ministry sources said that the Pre-ECNEC (PEC) meeting on the project was held on October 27 last year. The project was included in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) of the current fiscal year without any allocation subject to getting foreign assistance. But, later the allocations entirely with government fund were proposed for consideration of the ECNEC.Economic Relations Division (ERD) sources said that assistance was sought earlier from China for financing the project.The ERD sent a proposal to China for financing of the project on March 9 last year, but as yet there is no response. Besides, the Roads and Railways Division also sent a loan proposal for Chinese government’s concessional loan on March 11 last year.
Meanwhile, it is also uncertain whether it will be possible to get any assistance from China or any other country in near future against the project.-UNB
Cell formed for 3rd seaport construction
A cell has been formed to expedite construction of the country's third seaport in Patuakhali.The 'Third Seaport Construction Cell' will conduct techno-economic feasibility studies on the proposed seaport, said an official release on Wednesday.It will also set up a pilot port at Ramnabad in Patuakhali.Joint secretary Nasir Arif Mahmud with the shipping ministry has been made chief executive officer of the cell.The cell will conduct its operations from the office of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) at the city's Motijheel, the statement adds.News Source: BDNews24
Remittance may face serious setback due to Libyan crisis
Country's remittance earning that witnessed a balanced trend in recent months might face serious setback in the coming days due to uprising in Libya, which forced many Bangladeshi workers to return home, reports UNB.
The present crisis is likely to have further adverse impact on Bangladesh's
overseas labour market and balance of payments.According to the leaders of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting
Agencies (BAIRA), over 80,000 Bangladeshis work in Libya."Definitely, remittance inflow will drop significantly following crisis in Libya.
It might have impact on the overall economy of Bangladesh," BAIRA president
Abul Bashar told the news agency over phone.He said over 80,000 Bangladeshis, mostly technical and skilled, had been
working in Libya. The workers from strife-torn Libya have started returning
home and if this continues Bangladesh will be deprived of a substantial
amount of remittance.Replying to a question, the BAIRA chief said they talked to the officials of
some companies in Libya, who assured them that they would take back
their Bangladeshi workers once normalcy is restored in the West African
country.Former BAIRA president Ghulam Mustafa said overall remittance inflow to the
country would come down drastically if the present crisis in Libya and some
other Middle-Eastern countries continues for long.He said it will have serious impact on the country's overall economy, including
balance of payment situation and foreign exchange reserve.He suggested forming a national committee with representatives of Foreign
and Labour ministries as well as other stakeholders to cope with the situation
and explore new labour markets.Replying to a query, Mustafa said the government should take immediate
steps to arrange sending the returnee Bangladeshis from Libya to other
friendly countries.He said that Kuwait has not been recruiting workers from Bangladesh for
nearly eleven years while Saudi Arabia did not recruit Bangladeshis in the
last seven years.According to the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) analysis, the first half of
the current fiscal has posed formidable challenges for the country in terms
of the number of workers going abroad and remittance flow. Number of migrant
workers has decreased by almost half compared to average figure for
comparable periods of fiscals 2006-07 and 2007-08.It said there has been a significant deceleration in the growth of remittance
inflow to Bangladesh during the first five months (July-November) of current
fiscal. Total remittance inflow declined by 1.7 per cent during the period
compared to the same period of previous fiscal (2009-10).Our Staff Correspondent adds: The flow of inward remittances increased
slightly last month over that of the previous month despite less working days,
officials said.Bangladeshi nationals working abroad sent US$974.46 million in 18 working
days of February last, up by $3.92 million from the previous month. In January
2011, the remittance was $970.54 million, according to the central bank statistics
released Thursday."The inflow of remittance is still in a stable position. But we are very much
cautious about the Middle East situation," a senior official of the Bangladesh
Bank (BB) told the FE.He also said the central bank is observing the latest developments in the Middle
East countries closely.The country received $7.495 billion during the July-February period of fiscal
2010-11, registering a 2.49 per cent growth over the same period of the previous
fiscal, the BB's data showed.The central bank of Bangladesh earlier took a series of measures to encourage
expatriate Bangladeshis to send their hard earned money through formal banking
channel instead of the illegal "hundi" system to boost the country's foreign
exchange reserves.Currently, some private commercial banks along with the state-owned commercial
banks are trying to increase the flow of inward remittances from the Middle East,
the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Italy and
the United States."We're establishing new contacts with overseas exchange houses so that our
migrant workers could find it easy to send money back home," a senior official
of a leading commercial bank told the FE, adding that some banks were trying
to set up their own exchange houses in different parts of the world.The country's foreign exchange reserve stood at $11.23 billion Thursday,
despite nominal growth of remittance from Bangladeshis working abroad,
the BB officials added.Middle-Eastern countries continues for long.He said it will have serious impact on the country's overall economy, including
balance of payment situation and foreign exchange reserve.He suggested forming a national committee with representatives of Foreign
and Labour ministries as well as other stakeholders to cope with the situation
and explore new labour markets.Replying to a query, Mustafa said the government should take immediate
steps to arrange sending the returnee Bangladeshis from Libya to other
friendly countries.He said that Kuwait has not been recruiting workers from Bangladesh for
nearly eleven years while Saudi Arabia did not recruit Bangladeshis in
the last seven years.According to the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) analysis, the first half of
the current fiscal has posed formidable challenges for the country in terms
of the number of workers going abroad and remittance flow. Number of
migrant workers has decreased by almost half compared to average figure
for comparable periods of fiscals 2006-07 and 2007-08.It said there has been a significant deceleration in the growth of remittance inflow
to Bangladesh during the first five months (July-November) of current fiscal. Total
remittance inflow declined by 1.7 per cent during the period compared to the
same period of previous fiscal (2009-10).Our Staff Correspondent adds: The flow of inward remittances increased slightly
last month over that of the previous month despite less working days, officials
said.Bangladeshi nationals working abroad sent US$974.46 million in 18 working
days of February last, up by $3.92 million from the previous month. In January
2011, the remittance was $970.54 million, according to the central bank
statistics released Thursday."The inflow of remittance is still in a stable position. But we are very much
cautious about the Middle East situation," a senior official of the Bangladesh
Bank (BB) told the FE.He also said the central bank is observing the latest developments in the
Middle East countries closely.The country received $7.495 billion during the July-February period of fiscal
2010-11, registering a 2.49 per cent growth over the same period of the
previous fiscal, the BB's data showed.The central bank of Bangladesh earlier took a series of measures to encourage
expatriate Bangladeshis to send their hard earned money through formal banking
channel instead of the illegal "hundi" system to boost the country's foreign
exchange reserves.Currently, some private commercial banks along with the state-owned commercial
banks are trying to increase the flow of inward remittances from the Middle East,
the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Italy and the
United States."We're establishing new contacts with overseas exchange houses so that our
migrant workers could find it easy to send money back home," a senior official
of a leading commercial bank told the FE, adding that some banks were trying
to set up their own exchange houses in different parts of the world.The country's foreign exchange reserve stood at $11.23 billion Thursday, despite
nominal growth of remittance from Bangladeshis working abroad, the BB officials added.News Source: The Financial Express
Japan races to prevent nuke reactor meltdowns
KORIYAMA, Japan – Japan's nuclear crisis intensified Sunday as authorities raced to combat the threat of multiple reactor meltdowns and more than 180,000 people evacuated the quake- and tsunami-savaged northeastern coast where fears spread over possible radioactive contamination.
Nuclear plant operators were frantically trying to keep temperatures down in a series of nuclear reactors — including one where officials feared a partial meltdown could be happening Sunday — to prevent the disaster from growing worse.
But hours after officials announced the latest dangers to face the troubled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex, including the possibility of a second explosion in two days, there were few details about what was being done to bring the situation under control.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Sunday that a hydrogen explosion could occur at the complex's Unit 3, the latest reactor to face a possible meltdown. That would follow a hydrogen blast Saturday in the plant's Unit 1, where operators attempted to prevent a meltdown by injecting sea water into it.
"At the risk of raising further public concern, we cannot rule out the possibility of an explosion," Edano said. "If there is an explosion, however, there would be no significant impact on human health."
More than 180,000 people have evacuated as a precaution, though Edano said the radioactivity released into the environment so far was so small it didn't pose any health threats.
Such statements, though, did little to ease public worries.
"First I was worried about the quake," said Kenji Koshiba, a construction worker who lives near the plant. "Now I'm worried about radiation." He spoke at an emergency center in Koriyama, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) from the troubled reactors and 125 miles (190 kilometers) north of Tokyo.
Click image to see photos of quake, tsunami damage
AFP/Yomiuri Shimbun
At the makeshift center set up in a gym, a steady flow of people — mostly the elderly, schoolchildren and families with babies — were met by officials wearing helmets, surgical masks and goggles.
About 1,500 people had been scanned for radiation exposure, officials said.
Up to 160 people, including 60 elderly patients and medical staff who had been waiting for evacuation in the nearby town of Futabe, and 100 others evacuating by bus, might have been exposed to radiation, said Ryo Miyake, a spokesman from Japan's nuclear agency. The severity of their exposure, or if it had reached dangerous levels, was not clear.
Edano said none of the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors was near the point of complete meltdown, and he was confident of escaping the worst scenarios.
Officials, though, have declared states of emergency at six reactors — three at Dai-ichi and three at another nearby complex — after operators lost the ability to cool the reactors using usual procedures. Local evacuations have been ordered at each location. The U.N. nuclear agency said a state of emergency was also declared Sunday at another complex after higher-than-permitted levels of radiation were measured there. It said Japan informed it that all three reactors there were under control.
A pump for the cooling system at yet another nuclear complex, the Tokai Dai-Ni plant, also failed after Friday's quake but a second pump operated normally as did the reactor, said the utility, the Japan Atomic Power Co. It did not explain why it reported the incident Sunday.
All of the reactors at the complexes shut down automatically when the earthquake shook the region.
But with backup power supplies also failing, shutting down the reactors is just the beginning of the problem, scientists said.
"You need to get rid of the heat," said Friedrich Steinhaeusler, a professor of physics and biophysics at Salzburg University and an adviser to the Austrian government on nuclear issues. "You are basically putting the lid down on a pot that is boiling."
"They have a window of opportunity where they can do a lot," he said, such as using sea water as an emergency coolant. But if the heat is not brought down, the cascading problems can eventually be impossible to control. "This isn't something that will happen in a few hours. It's days."
Edano, for his part, denied there had been a meltdown in the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex, but other officials said the situation was not so clear.
Hidehiko Nishiyama, a senior official of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, indicated the reactor core in Unit 3 had melted partially, telling a news conference, "I don't think the fuel rods themselves have been spared damage," according to the Kyodo News agency.
A complete meltdown — the collapse of a power plant's ability to keep temperatures under control — could release uranium and dangerous contaminants into the environment and pose major, widespread health risks.
Experts noted, however, that even a complete meltdown would probably be far less severe than the 1986 disaster at Chernobyl, where a reactor exploded and sent a cloud of radiation over much of Europe. That reactor, unlike the ones in Fukushima, was not housed in a sealed container.
The nuclear crisis was triggered by twin disasters on Friday, when an 8.9-magnitude earthquake, the most powerful in the country's recorded history, was followed by a tsunami that savaged its northeastern coast with breathtaking speed and power.
More than 1,400 people were killed and hundreds more were missing, according to officials, but police in one of the worst-hit areas estimated the toll there alone was more than 10,000.
The scale of the multiple disasters appeared to be outpacing the efforts of Japanese authorities to bring the situation under control.
Rescue teams were struggling to search hundreds of miles (kilometers) of devastated coastline, and hundreds of thousands of hungry survivors huddled in darkened emergency centers cut off from rescuers and aid. At least 1.4 million households had gone without water since the quake, and food and gasoline were quickly running out across the region. Large areas of the countryside were surrounded by water and unreachable. Nearly 2 million households were without electricity.
Starting Monday, power will be rationed with rolling blackouts in several cities, including Tokyo.
The government doubled the number of troops pressed into rescue operations to about 100,000 from 51,000, as powerful aftershocks continued to rock the country. Hundreds have hit since the initial temblor.
On Saturday, an explosion destroyed the walls and ceiling of Fukushima Dai-ichi's Unit 1 as operators desperately tried to prevent it from overheating and melting down by releasing steam.
Officials were aware that the steam contained hydrogen and were risking an explosion by venting it, acknowledged Shinji Kinjo, spokesman for the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, but chose to do so because they needed to reduce the pressure.
Officials insisted there was no significant radioactive leak after the explosion.
Without power, and with its valves and pumps damaged by the tsunami, authorities resorted to drawing sea water mixed with boron in an attempt to cool the unit's overheated uranium fuel rods. Boron disrupts nuclear chain reactions.
Operators also began using sea water to cool the complex's Unit 3 reactor after earlier attempts to lower its temperature failed, the U.N. Nuclear Agency said.
The move likely renders the 40-year-old reactors unusable, said a foreign ministry official briefing reporters.
He said radiation levels outside the plant briefly rose above legal limits, but had since declined significantly.
Japan has a total of 55 reactors spread across 17 complexes nationwide.
___
Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo. Associated Press writers Tomoko A. Hosaka in Tokyo, Tim Sullivan in Bangkok and Jeff Donn in Boston contributed to this report.
The government has taken an initiative to launch Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) train in a bid to reduce traffic congestion as well as to serve the commuters residing in and around the capital and the port city of Chittagong.
With this objective, the government will procure 20 sets (3 units in one set) DEMU train through which at least 6,000 commuters will be able to travel at a time. The DEMU train routes will be Dhaka-Gazipur, Dhaka-Narayanganj, Dhaka-Narsingdi and Chittagong-Feni.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has recently approved a project titled `Procurement of 20 sets (3 unit in one set) DEMU’ at a cost of Tk 654.42 crore to be entirely borne from the government exchequer. The project is expected to be completed by June 2014.
Of the total project cost, an allocation of Tk 51.70 crore has been earmarked for the current fiscal, Tk 14.44 crore for 2011-12 fiscal, Tk 585.30 crore for 2012-13 fiscal and Tk 2.97 crore for the 2013-14 fiscal.
According to sources at the Bangladesh Railway, the DEMU is a modern and fast train communication system which will unveil a new era in the country’s rail communication. Once introduced, it is expected to reduce the traffic congestions of the satellite towns of Dhaka and Chittagong to some extent.
At the same time, it is also expected to replace the existing slow engines of the passenger trains apart from fulfilling the demand of fast running passenger trains on the Dhaka-Gazipur, Dhaka-Narayanganj, Dhaka-Narsingdi, and Chittagong-Feni routes.
Railway sources said that each of the DEMU could carry 100 passengers so as a set with three bogies would be able to carry 300 passengers. These DEMU trains are being introduced in the other big cities of the world to meet the growing demand of transport.
The Communication Ministry sources said that the DEMU train is suitable for operation in satellite towns. The speed of such train can be accelerated and reduced more speedily compared to other conventional mail and express trains.
The DEMU train can be operated in both ways without the need to turn round the engines. The units or bogies can also be separated or connected at a time.
Each DEMU train consists of three units - Driving Power Car (DPC), Trailer Car (TC) and Driving Trailer Car (DTC). The ideal structure of a DEMU train could be of one, two or three sets according to the traffic demand.
Planning Ministry sources said that the Pre-ECNEC (PEC) meeting on the project was held on October 27 last year. The project was included in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) of the current fiscal year without any allocation subject to getting foreign assistance. But, later the allocations entirely with government fund were proposed for consideration of the ECNEC.
Economic Relations Division (ERD) sources said that assistance was sought earlier from China for financing the project.
The ERD sent a proposal to China for financing of the project on March 9 last year, but as yet there is no response. Besides, the Roads and Railways Division also sent a loan proposal for Chinese government’s concessional loan on March 11 last year.
Meanwhile, it is also uncertain whether it will be possible to get any assistance from China or any other country in near future against the project.
Meanwhile, it is also uncertain whether it will be possible to get any assistance from China or any other country in near future against the project.
-UNB
Cell formed for 3rd seaport construction
A cell has been formed to expedite construction of the country's third seaport in Patuakhali.
The 'Third Seaport Construction Cell' will conduct techno-economic feasibility studies on the proposed seaport, said an official release on Wednesday.
It will also set up a pilot port at Ramnabad in Patuakhali.
Joint secretary Nasir Arif Mahmud with the shipping ministry has been made chief executive officer of the cell.
The cell will conduct its operations from the office of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) at the city's Motijheel, the statement adds.
News Source: BDNews24
Remittance may face serious setback due to Libyan crisis
Country's remittance earning that witnessed a balanced trend in recent months might face serious setback in the coming days due to uprising in Libya, which forced many Bangladeshi workers to return home, reports UNB.
The present crisis is likely to have further adverse impact on Bangladesh's
overseas labour market and balance of payments.
overseas labour market and balance of payments.
According to the leaders of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting
Agencies (BAIRA), over 80,000 Bangladeshis work in Libya.
Agencies (BAIRA), over 80,000 Bangladeshis work in Libya.
"Definitely, remittance inflow will drop significantly following crisis in Libya.
It might have impact on the overall economy of Bangladesh," BAIRA president
Abul Bashar told the news agency over phone.
It might have impact on the overall economy of Bangladesh," BAIRA president
Abul Bashar told the news agency over phone.
He said over 80,000 Bangladeshis, mostly technical and skilled, had been
working in Libya. The workers from strife-torn Libya have started returning
home and if this continues Bangladesh will be deprived of a substantial
amount of remittance.
working in Libya. The workers from strife-torn Libya have started returning
home and if this continues Bangladesh will be deprived of a substantial
amount of remittance.
Replying to a question, the BAIRA chief said they talked to the officials of
some companies in Libya, who assured them that they would take back
their Bangladeshi workers once normalcy is restored in the West African
country.
some companies in Libya, who assured them that they would take back
their Bangladeshi workers once normalcy is restored in the West African
country.
Former BAIRA president Ghulam Mustafa said overall remittance inflow to the
country would come down drastically if the present crisis in Libya and some
other Middle-Eastern countries continues for long.
country would come down drastically if the present crisis in Libya and some
other Middle-Eastern countries continues for long.
He said it will have serious impact on the country's overall economy, including
balance of payment situation and foreign exchange reserve.
balance of payment situation and foreign exchange reserve.
He suggested forming a national committee with representatives of Foreign
and Labour ministries as well as other stakeholders to cope with the situation
and explore new labour markets.
and Labour ministries as well as other stakeholders to cope with the situation
and explore new labour markets.
Replying to a query, Mustafa said the government should take immediate
steps to arrange sending the returnee Bangladeshis from Libya to other
friendly countries.
steps to arrange sending the returnee Bangladeshis from Libya to other
friendly countries.
He said that Kuwait has not been recruiting workers from Bangladesh for
nearly eleven years while Saudi Arabia did not recruit Bangladeshis in the
last seven years.
nearly eleven years while Saudi Arabia did not recruit Bangladeshis in the
last seven years.
According to the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) analysis, the first half of
the current fiscal has posed formidable challenges for the country in terms
of the number of workers going abroad and remittance flow. Number of migrant
workers has decreased by almost half compared to average figure for
comparable periods of fiscals 2006-07 and 2007-08.
the current fiscal has posed formidable challenges for the country in terms
of the number of workers going abroad and remittance flow. Number of migrant
workers has decreased by almost half compared to average figure for
comparable periods of fiscals 2006-07 and 2007-08.
It said there has been a significant deceleration in the growth of remittance
inflow to Bangladesh during the first five months (July-November) of current
fiscal. Total remittance inflow declined by 1.7 per cent during the period
compared to the same period of previous fiscal (2009-10).
inflow to Bangladesh during the first five months (July-November) of current
fiscal. Total remittance inflow declined by 1.7 per cent during the period
compared to the same period of previous fiscal (2009-10).
Our Staff Correspondent adds: The flow of inward remittances increased
slightly last month over that of the previous month despite less working days,
officials said.
slightly last month over that of the previous month despite less working days,
officials said.
Bangladeshi nationals working abroad sent US$974.46 million in 18 working
days of February last, up by $3.92 million from the previous month. In January
2011, the remittance was $970.54 million, according to the central bank statistics
released Thursday.
days of February last, up by $3.92 million from the previous month. In January
2011, the remittance was $970.54 million, according to the central bank statistics
released Thursday.
"The inflow of remittance is still in a stable position. But we are very much
cautious about the Middle East situation," a senior official of the Bangladesh
Bank (BB) told the FE.
cautious about the Middle East situation," a senior official of the Bangladesh
Bank (BB) told the FE.
He also said the central bank is observing the latest developments in the Middle
East countries closely.
East countries closely.
The country received $7.495 billion during the July-February period of fiscal
2010-11, registering a 2.49 per cent growth over the same period of the previous
fiscal, the BB's data showed.
2010-11, registering a 2.49 per cent growth over the same period of the previous
fiscal, the BB's data showed.
The central bank of Bangladesh earlier took a series of measures to encourage
expatriate Bangladeshis to send their hard earned money through formal banking
channel instead of the illegal "hundi" system to boost the country's foreign
exchange reserves.
expatriate Bangladeshis to send their hard earned money through formal banking
channel instead of the illegal "hundi" system to boost the country's foreign
exchange reserves.
Currently, some private commercial banks along with the state-owned commercial
banks are trying to increase the flow of inward remittances from the Middle East,
the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Italy and
the United States.
banks are trying to increase the flow of inward remittances from the Middle East,
the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Italy and
the United States.
"We're establishing new contacts with overseas exchange houses so that our
migrant workers could find it easy to send money back home," a senior official
of a leading commercial bank told the FE, adding that some banks were trying
to set up their own exchange houses in different parts of the world.
migrant workers could find it easy to send money back home," a senior official
of a leading commercial bank told the FE, adding that some banks were trying
to set up their own exchange houses in different parts of the world.
The country's foreign exchange reserve stood at $11.23 billion Thursday,
despite nominal growth of remittance from Bangladeshis working abroad,
the BB officials added.Middle-Eastern countries continues for long.
despite nominal growth of remittance from Bangladeshis working abroad,
the BB officials added.Middle-Eastern countries continues for long.
He said it will have serious impact on the country's overall economy, including
balance of payment situation and foreign exchange reserve.
balance of payment situation and foreign exchange reserve.
He suggested forming a national committee with representatives of Foreign
and Labour ministries as well as other stakeholders to cope with the situation
and explore new labour markets.
and Labour ministries as well as other stakeholders to cope with the situation
and explore new labour markets.
Replying to a query, Mustafa said the government should take immediate
steps to arrange sending the returnee Bangladeshis from Libya to other
friendly countries.
steps to arrange sending the returnee Bangladeshis from Libya to other
friendly countries.
He said that Kuwait has not been recruiting workers from Bangladesh for
nearly eleven years while Saudi Arabia did not recruit Bangladeshis in
the last seven years.
nearly eleven years while Saudi Arabia did not recruit Bangladeshis in
the last seven years.
According to the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) analysis, the first half of
the current fiscal has posed formidable challenges for the country in terms
of the number of workers going abroad and remittance flow. Number of
migrant workers has decreased by almost half compared to average figure
for comparable periods of fiscals 2006-07 and 2007-08.
the current fiscal has posed formidable challenges for the country in terms
of the number of workers going abroad and remittance flow. Number of
migrant workers has decreased by almost half compared to average figure
for comparable periods of fiscals 2006-07 and 2007-08.
It said there has been a significant deceleration in the growth of remittance inflow
to Bangladesh during the first five months (July-November) of current fiscal. Total
remittance inflow declined by 1.7 per cent during the period compared to the
same period of previous fiscal (2009-10).
to Bangladesh during the first five months (July-November) of current fiscal. Total
remittance inflow declined by 1.7 per cent during the period compared to the
same period of previous fiscal (2009-10).
Our Staff Correspondent adds: The flow of inward remittances increased slightly
last month over that of the previous month despite less working days, officials
said.
last month over that of the previous month despite less working days, officials
said.
Bangladeshi nationals working abroad sent US$974.46 million in 18 working
days of February last, up by $3.92 million from the previous month. In January
2011, the remittance was $970.54 million, according to the central bank
statistics released Thursday.
days of February last, up by $3.92 million from the previous month. In January
2011, the remittance was $970.54 million, according to the central bank
statistics released Thursday.
"The inflow of remittance is still in a stable position. But we are very much
cautious about the Middle East situation," a senior official of the Bangladesh
Bank (BB) told the FE.
cautious about the Middle East situation," a senior official of the Bangladesh
Bank (BB) told the FE.
He also said the central bank is observing the latest developments in the
Middle East countries closely.
Middle East countries closely.
The country received $7.495 billion during the July-February period of fiscal
2010-11, registering a 2.49 per cent growth over the same period of the
previous fiscal, the BB's data showed.
2010-11, registering a 2.49 per cent growth over the same period of the
previous fiscal, the BB's data showed.
The central bank of Bangladesh earlier took a series of measures to encourage
expatriate Bangladeshis to send their hard earned money through formal banking
channel instead of the illegal "hundi" system to boost the country's foreign
exchange reserves.
expatriate Bangladeshis to send their hard earned money through formal banking
channel instead of the illegal "hundi" system to boost the country's foreign
exchange reserves.
Currently, some private commercial banks along with the state-owned commercial
banks are trying to increase the flow of inward remittances from the Middle East,
the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Italy and the
United States.
banks are trying to increase the flow of inward remittances from the Middle East,
the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Italy and the
United States.
"We're establishing new contacts with overseas exchange houses so that our
migrant workers could find it easy to send money back home," a senior official
of a leading commercial bank told the FE, adding that some banks were trying
to set up their own exchange houses in different parts of the world.
migrant workers could find it easy to send money back home," a senior official
of a leading commercial bank told the FE, adding that some banks were trying
to set up their own exchange houses in different parts of the world.
The country's foreign exchange reserve stood at $11.23 billion Thursday, despite
nominal growth of remittance from Bangladeshis working abroad, the BB officials added.
nominal growth of remittance from Bangladeshis working abroad, the BB officials added.
News Source: The Financial Express
