Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday reprimanded two ministers, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque and Food Minister Md Qamrul Islam, for their personal comments on Chief Justice SK Sinha. “It’s their personal opinion; the government has nothing to do with it. The government has been embarrassed,” a senior minister told The Independent quoting the Prime Minister after Monday’s Cabinet meeting. “Sheikh Hasina said, ‘You (two ministers) leave the Cabinet and make such remarks on the street’,” the minister further quoted the premier. The premier also warned the Cabinet ministers not to make such remarks in any forum. On March 6, two ministers at a roundtable discussion criticised Chief Justice SK Sinha for his reported remark, “The prosecution is doing politics with the trial of condemned war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali.”
Earlier, while hearing arguments on Mir Quasem Ali’s death row review petition on February 23, the Chief Justice had expressed his dissatisfaction towards the prosecution and investigation agency.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet yesterday approved the draft of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Act 2016 to introduce a bus-based mass transport system in Dhaka and its surrounding districts. After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told reporters that the proposed law would regulate the BRT system to reduce traffic jams in Dhaka and its adjacent areas.
A state-owned company, Dhaka Bus Rapid Transit Co. Ltd (DBRTCL), will be formed under the proposed Act to run the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS).
According to the draft Act, a five-member committee will be formed to fix the speed, routes and fare of buses. A person, organization or company can establish, operate and maintain the BRTS after getting a license. The proposed BRTS will run in Dhaka and its neighboring districts Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Gazipur and Narsingdi. The route may be extended in future.
The proposed Act also has provision for punishment in case of unauthorised bids and unlawful interruptions. It stipulates maximum 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Tk. 1 crore for any unauthorised bid to operate the BRTS and a year’s rigorous imprisonment and fine of Taka 5 lakh for

interrupting the Bus Rapid Transits installation or services.
The Roads and Highways Division has signed a contract with a consultant for the 20km Bus Rapid Transits System from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Gazipur.
The draft Act suggests the use of public-private partnership to implement the project.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet also approved the draft of ‘The Supreme Court Judges (Remuneration and Privileges) Amendment Act, 2016’ incorporating the Eid and festival bonuses as well as the Nabobarsho allowance for the Supreme Court judges in the existing law.
Under the draft amended Act, the judges of the Supreme Court will receive 20 per cent of the total salary as an allowance on Pahela Boishakh, the first day of the Bangla new year, from this year, like other government
employees. The draft of “The Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the Government of the Republic of India on Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy” was also approved by the Cabinet during the meeting yesterday. The Cabinet, chaired by the prime minister, was also apprised of the report of Bangladesh Development Forum 2015 and the visit of a Bangladesh delegation led by the Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon to the Aviation Leadership Summit-2016 and Singapore Airshow-2016 held in Singapore on February 14-16.