Party, govt will be run separately: Ashraful

Staff Correspondent

The Awami League General Secretary and LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam has said that the government would actively consider the extension of the deadline for the political party's registration if such proposal comes from the Election Commission. Stating that they do not want to see any political party, including BNP, remaining out of registration process due to time restriction and legal barriers, Ashraful Islam assured, "If the Election Commission proposes to extend the time limit for any party which failed to submit the documents as per the RPO within the stipulated timeframe on July 25, the government will respond to the plea positively."
He was talking to newsmen at his Bangladesh Secretariat Office in the capital on Sunday. About the full-fledged national central committee, Syed Ashraf said, the full-fledged committee of the AL would be declared within two or three days.
"Stage was all set to hold election for the new committee
during the council session in order to continue the democratic practice inside the party.
For this ballot papers and transparent boxes were ready but no election was required as there was no contestant except only one for the post of President and General Secretary of the Awami League respectively," the AL General Secretary continued,
"The party activities will be geared up further following the council. The party and the government would be run separately. The party will monitor the government activities while the government will implement the party election-pledges."
Ashraful Islam highly appreciated the presence of the BNP representatives in the AL Council's inaugural session and the message sent from the BNP Chairperson wishing the
success of the council and expressed his optimistic attitude that in the upcoming days, the chiefs of both the arch-rival political parties would attend the programmes of each others party and deliver speeches.
Referring to the trial of the war criminals, the LGDR nad Cooperative Minister said, "We failed to reach a consensus on different national issues like the trial of war criminals. But there should be national unity for the welfare of the country and its people nation." "If the political parties become united on
different national issues, democracy will be strengthened at the state-level as well as inside country's political parties," he observed.

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Energy Ministry to sit with CNG pump owners today to avert strike

UNB, Dhaka

As the CNG pump owners moved to go on strike from August 1 to realize their 6-point demands, the Energy Ministry is going to sit with them today (Monday) to find a settlement on the issues and avert the planned shutdown.
According to official sources, an invitation letter was sent to the pump owners' organization-Bangladesh CNG Filling Station & Conversion Workshop Owners Association (BCFSCWOA)-asking them to sit in a meeting on Monday at the Energy Ministry. Energy Secretary Mohammad Mohsin will preside.
Officials of Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited (RPGCL), which is the licensing authority of CNG pump and conversion business, have also been asked by the Energy Ministry to be present at the meeting.
However, the leaders of BCFSCWOA expressed their frustration over the invitation, saying that such official-level meeting does not produce any outcome.
"We've had similar meetings twice. But our problems still remained unresolved. We want to hold meeting with the political leadership who can understand our problems with due importance. We want to meet the state minister for power and energy," said a top leader of the BCFSCWOA.
The BCFSCWOA's 6-point demands include reducing the gas price to Tk 13.26 from the existing Tk 16.75 per cubic metre at the consumer level, fixing feed gas price Tk 5.23 like other industries, cancelling the minimum billing system, installing electronic volume conductor (EVC) on
emergency basis, reducing BERC licence fee to Tk 5,000 from existing Tk 1 lakh, cancelling the cash security deposit system and exempting the CNG stations from NOC of Environment Department.
Meanwhile, the BCFSCWOA today brought out a car rally in the city in support of their demands, which drove through different roads.
BCFSCWOA Senior
Vice-President Manoranjan Bhakt and general secretary Zakir Hossain Nayon led the rally.

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