Bangladesh on Thursday banned the import of new oil-fired turn-key electricity generators, citing foreign exchange worries and reversing a policy to allow independent power producers to setup mini plants to meet chronic power shortages.

Bangladesh had planned to host 49 so-called quick rental power plants, mostly fuel-oil powered generating units shipped into the country ready to run, by the end of next year to help cover a daily electricity demand shortfall of 1,500 megawatts (MW).

The Jatiya Sangsad on Wednesday passed the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority Bill seeking to modernise the transport system of Dhaka city and the adjoining districts that have been experiencing severe traffic congestion for quite a while.

The bill brought the districts of Naryanganj, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Gazipur, and Narsingdi under the purview of the law by amending the Dhaka Transport Coordination Board Act, 2001.

The High Court yesterday stayed for 10 days the effectiveness of the environmental certificate issued by the Department of Environment (DoE) for implementation of a water supply project of Khulna City Corporation (KCC).

In response to a writ petition, the court also issued a rule upon the government to explain in 10 days why the DoE's decision to issue the certificate for Phultala Water Supply Project of KCC should not be declared illegal.

The HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim also fixed February 19 for hearing the rule.

Fishermen held a demonstration in the city on Tuesday against India’s controversial Tipaimukh dam saying it would adversely affect livelihoods and life of over three lakh fishermen in Bangladesh’s north-eastern districts.

Speaking at a rally in front of the National Press Club fishermen’s leaders said that at least 10 rivers in Bangladesh including the Surma, Kushiyara and Meghna would dry up causing gradual desertification in the northeastern districts of lower riparian Bangladesh.

They said it would directly affect the life and livelihood of the country’s fishermen.

A cabinet meeting, chaired by prime minister Sheikhy Hasina, on Monday approved in principle a proposal for the creation of a special organization for operating Bus Rapid Transit between Shahjalal International Airport and Gazipur to curb the capital city’s traffic congestion.

The Roads Division of the Communications Ministry placed the proposal at the weekly cabinet meeting, cabinet secretary Muhammad Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters later.

The overall environmental performance is improving in Sri Lanka and it has been ranked as a moderate performer, according to the 2012 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) released during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week.

Bangladeshi women farmers in rainbow-bright saris survey their flooded rice paddies with dismay: the rains have drowned the tender seedlings and, with them, their livelihoods. Climate change, ill-judged policies, protectionism, urbanisation and plain greed have all conspired to reignite Malthusian prophesies of a growing world population unable to feed itself.

AGARTALA:The proposed up-gradation of Agartala airport to an international airstrip has run into rough weather with the dispute over land acquisition for expansion of the runway and other mandatory infrastructure.

Officials here on Saturday said that the state government had been demanding an international airport for the past two years but the Airport Authority of India(AAI) sought land as the state’s contribution.