Advisers agree to empower EC on framing voter list rules

---

FE Report
The Council of Advisers Saturday gave its consent to the Electoral Rolls (Amendment) Ordinance - 2007, in principle, empowering the Election Commission (EC) to frame voter list-related rules and regulations.
Besides, the 'Upazila Parishad' has also been included in the definition of local-body elections under the proposed amendment, which was absent in the amended ordinance of 1982.
Chaired by Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, the 45th meeting of the interim cabinet also approved the amendment to the Acid Control Act-2002, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Syed Fahim Monaim said at a press briefing.
He, however, said a fresh provision for devising a computerised database for preparation of draft voter lists with photos has also been proposed in the Electoral Rolls (Amendment) Ordinance-2007.
The draft voter lists with photographs attached would be available at all the polling centres, according to the proposed amendment, he said.
But if anybody wants voter lists without photographs, then that too will be available, he said.
Under the proposed amendment, the voters' rolls will be updated every year, Fahim informed the newsmen.
Since a controversy arose over preparation of voter rolls in 2006, the decision to make voter identity cards (IDs) had been taken after restructuring the EC in February 2007, he observed.
About the proposed Acid Control (Amendment) Ordinance -2007, he said three new members - the Inspector General of Police, Secretary of the Law Ministry and Secretary of the Social Welfare Ministry - have been included in the existing council.
Moreover, if the government deems it necessary, it can anytime co-opt new members and cancel the nomination of the members, he said, adding that the tenure of the council will be two years.
Apart from those, the Advisory Council meeting also decided to instruct the Bangladesh missions in Belgium and the Netherlands to initiate dialogue to settle a Tk 310-million (31 crore) compensation case between a Netherlands-based computer company - Tulip -- and the government of Bangladesh.
Regarding the case, Fahim said, Tulip had signed an agreement with the Bangladesh government on June 30 in 2001, under which the company was to supply around 10,888 computers in 3,382 educational institutions at a cost of about Tk 1.0 billion (100 crore) with 50 per cent Dutch grant.
The company filed a case after cancellation of the deal by the Bangladesh government.
The Dutch court is scheduled to pronounce its verdict on September 11 this year on the appeal, filed by the Bangladesh government, he mentioned.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of LGRD also made a presentation on its various activities at the meeting.