US-Bangla, one of the country's private airlines, is planning to operate Dhaka-Jeddah Hajj flights in the future. The airline authorities hope that this will reduce the time and suffering of Hajj pilgrims.

US-Bangla Airlines General Manager (Public Relations) Md. Kamrul Islam gave this information at a press conference at Hotel Best Western Heritage in Cox's Bazar on Monday (November 25) night.

The General Manager of US-Bangla Airlines said, every year, a problem arises with the schedule of airlines during Hajj. This shows that Hajj passengers cannot reach Jeddah within the specified time. We have already applied to the authorities to start this flight for their convenience. We hope that we will get permission to start flights on this route in the near future.

He said, for our expatriate brothers and sisters in the Middle East, US-Bangla Airlines is currently operating flights to Muscat, Doha, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi. Most recently, US Bangla is operating flights to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. In Jeddah, we are not only serving our brothers and sisters, but also trying to serve Umrah Hajj passengers. Through this, the airline launched this flight to serve Saudi expatriates as well as those who are going to perform Umrah Hajj.

Kamrul Islam said, every airline has a dream of operating flights to a state in China. US-Bangla Airlines has turned that dream into reality. This airline has been successfully operating Dhaka-Guangzhou flights since April 26, 2018. During Covid, Bangladesh's flights to all countries of the world were closed except for the Dhaka-Guangzhou route. US Bangla operated flights on that route. From there, we brought masks, PPE, and other necessary medical equipment for Covid and supplied them to various hospitals. We are not only doing business, but we have also tried to serve the country and the people from our place.

Another route is Dhaka-Chennai. There were many passengers on this route but there were no direct flights. We were able to operate flights on that route with just a small decision. We used to operate 6 flights on Chattogram-Kolkata. From there, we operate three flights on Chattogram-Chennai. Due to this, people are now able to travel directly from Chattogram to Chennai through this airline.

He also said that a significant country for Bangladeshi workers is Maldives. But there was no direct flight from Bangladesh to Maldives. The authorities have repeatedly asked Biman Bangladesh Airlines to do so, but they have failed. However, more than 150,000 Bangladeshi workers are working in this island country. But since there is no direct flight from Bangladesh, they had to go from Colombo, Chennai or the Middle East. This would have cost more time and money. To alleviate that suffering, we have launched a direct Dhaka-Maldives flight.

We have planned to launch flights on the Riyadh and Medina routes between April and May. For this, we will have to add Airbus-330 to our fleet. We hope that this will be possible by 2025. In addition, US-Bangla Airlines plans to operate flights to various European countries including Rome, Italy, by 2026, and from Dhaka to New York and Toronto, Canada by 2027, the official said.

It is worth noting that on July 17, 2014, US-Bangla started its journey in the airspace of Bangladesh by operating flights on the Dhaka-Jashore route with Dash 8-Q400 aircraft. As per the plan, US-Bangla has strengthened the air connectivity system in the shortest possible time by operating flights to all airports within Bangladesh within the first one year.

It is operating flights to Jashore, Saidpur, Rajshahi. US-Bangla spread its wings on international routes by operating flights on the Dhaka-Kathmandu route on May 15, 2016, within two years of its launch. US-Bangla's international routes include Kolkata, Chennai, Male, Muscat, Doha, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok and Guangzhou.

Currently, US-Bangla has 24 aircraft in its fleet. These include 2 Airbus 330-300, 9 Boeing 737-800, 10 ATR 72-600 and 3 Dash 8-Q 400 aircraft. Since its inception, US-Bangla has a record of operating more than 90 percent on-time flights.

US-Bangla has been able to gain the trust of passengers as a domestic airline by setting a unique precedent in passenger service. US-Bangla currently has about 3,000 officers and employees in the country and abroad; which is also working to solve the country's unemployment problem. Apart from this, it is keeping the wheels of the country's economy moving by paying regular taxes and surcharges. Besides, it is increasing the reputation of the country by operating flights on international routes. It is making the country's economy stronger by earning foreign currency.

US-Bangla has a website and mobile app facilities for collecting tickets. It has more than 40 sales offices in the country and abroad. There is a 'Skystar' program for frequent flyers.

The National Review Committee on the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources has written to the interim government to appoint a reputable legal and investigative agency to assist in reviewing power generation contracts executed during Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic regime between 2009 and 2024.

This was announced in a message sent by the press wing of the chief adviser.

The committee, headed by Justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury, made this recommendation to the interim government in a resolution on Sunday (November 24). It said that the committee needs more time to further analyze the other contracts.

The review committee is collecting evidence that can lead to the review or cancellation of the contracts in line with international arbitration law and procedures.

“To do this, we recommend the immediate engagement of one or more top-notch international law and investigative agency to assist the committee,” the review committee said.

The committee said it wants to ensure that the investigations are in line with international standards and will be admissible in international negotiations and arbitration.

The Review Committee is currently conducting a detailed investigation of several contracts. These include:

1. Adani (Godda) BIFPCL 1234.4 MW Coal-fired Power Plant

2. Payra 1320 MW Coal-fired Thermal Power Plant

3. Meghnaghat 335 MW Dual Fuel Power Plant

4. Ashuganj 195 MW Gas Power Plant

5. Banshkhali 612 MW Coal-fired Power Plant

6. Meghnaghat 583 MW Dual Fuel Power Plant

7. Meghnaghat 584 MW Gas/LNG Power Plant

Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashiruddin said that the role of businessmen is now important for state reform. The government will ensure a business-friendly environment for them.

He said these things as the chief guest at a meeting on the supply of daily necessities and market conditions at the Khatunganj Trade and Industries Association office in Chattogram on Thursday (November 21) evening.

Sheikh Bashiruddin said that about 2,000 students lost their lives in the student movement in July-August. More than 50,000 were injured, many were disabled. They despised life for state reform. The expectations of the students should be given priority.

The month of Ramadan is not far away. Noting that there are exactly 100 days left, the advisor said that many steps have been taken to increase the supply of daily necessities during Ramadan. The government has also reduced the customs duties on several products. Now, he added, the businessmen need to extend their cooperation.

Business leaders demanded ensuring a business-friendly environment in Khatunganj, installation of weighing scales and easy-to-use bank loans. The Commerce adviser assured all-out cooperation in resolving the problems.

The program was presided over by Abul Bashar Chowdhury, acting president of Khatunganj Trade and Industries Association, and was addressed by Mohammad Selim Uddin, Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Syed Sagir Ahmed, general secretary of Khatunganj Trade and Industries Association along with other business leaders.

Mohammad Saiful Alam, founder and chairman of Bangladesh's leading business group S Alam, has claimed that Singapore citizenship and an international investment agreement will protect his business from pressure and intimidation created by Bangladesh Bank. Lawyers for Saiful Alam and his family have warned Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H. Mansur in a letter. The warning stated that if their business is unfairly harmed, they will file a case in the International Court of Arbitration.

This information was given in a report by the British newspaper Financial Times on Tuesday (November 19).

Earlier, in an interview with the Financial Times, Governor Ahsan H. Mansur alleged that Saiful Alam and his associates 'looted' at least 1.2 trillion or 10 billion taka from Bangladesh Bank during the rule of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Following such allegations, US-based law firm Queen Emmanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has issued a warning letter on behalf of S. Alam in the letter. The letter said that the governor had made "provocative and baseless comments" that could damage the reputation of a business group. The letter also said that this business group directly and indirectly provided employment to about 200,000 people in Bangladesh.

The Financial Times report said that Saiful Alam's letter and the threat to initiate international arbitration proceedings are seen as the most serious reaction against the interim government of Bangladesh. After the fall of Sheikh Hasina in the student movement, the government came to power under the leadership of Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

Then, in August, Ahsan H. Mansur was appointed as the governor of Bangladesh Bank. He is a former IMF official. In an interview last month, he said that Saiful Alam and his associates laundered money by taking control of the country's banks with the help of members of the influential military intelligence agency. He alleged that they used tactics such as loans to new shareholders and overpriced import invoices to rob the bank.

The S. Alam Group operates in various sectors including food, construction, garment factories and banking. The group’s chairman, Saiful Alam, his wife Farzana Parveen and their sons Ashraful Alam and Asadul Alam Mahir, own and control a large part of the group. The industrial group, in a statement issued through law firm Queen Emmanuel last month, rejected the governor’s allegations. The statement said that there is “no truth” to the allegations.

The latest letter to the governor said that your statements are a planned campaign to destroy the S. Alam Group. As a result, the investments of investors in S. Alam are also being damaged. It is particularly noteworthy that you are leading or directing this campaign.

The letter also said that the four investors are Singapore citizens. However, there is no information in the letter about when Saiful Alam’s family obtained Singapore citizenship and whether they are still citizens of Bangladesh. The Singapore government also did not respond to a request for comment. Bangladesh and Singapore have had a bilateral investment protection agreement since 2004.

The letter stated that Ahsan Mansur’s statement was on behalf of the Bangladeshi state. It said that as Singaporean citizens, investors enjoy ‘rights and protections’ under the Bangladesh Foreign Private Investment Act of 1980. They will take all necessary steps to protect their rights, including but not limited to seeking dispute resolution through the International Arbitration Centre.

When asked for a response to the letter, Ahsan H Mansur told the Financial Times that the claims he made in the interview with the Financial Times were ‘fully substantiated’. He said that the allegations involved many banks and years of widespread corruption. The documentation of these is still ongoing. It will take some time to process the full documents.

The interim government led by Dr. Yunus is facing many problems. These include political unrest, cancellation of orders in the garment industry and India's critical stance against the government where the threat of going to the international arbitration court is going to be added as a new challenge.

The letter said that Saiful Alam and his family want to resolve the issue peacefully and according to the law instead of a legal battle. Their aim is to avoid a long and costly legal process. However, the letter warns the central bank governor that if he continues to violate their rights and make false statements, then S. Alam will be forced to take legal action. Source: Financial Times.