Chaired by Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, the council at its regular weekly meeting yesterday gave the approval to the draft ordinance seeking amendment to the Electoral Roll Ordinance of 1982.

Under the amendment, Upazila Parishad has been included in the definition of the local bodies, which was absent in the earlier ordinance. It also incorporated application of computerised database by the Election Commission for preparing voter list with photo, updating of voter list every year, display of draft voter list along with photographs.

Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim briefed the newsmen about the outcome of the meeting.

The council also approved in principle the Acid Control (Amendment) Ordinance 2007 changing clause 4 of the Acid Control Act of 2002 and incorporating three more persons as members of the existing council under the Act. The three new members to be included are inspector general of police, secretary of the law ministry and secretary of the social welfare ministry.

As per the proposed amendment, the government, if necessary, can anytime co-opt new members and cancel the nomination of the members. The term of the membership of the council is for two years.

Other members of the council include minister or state minister for home affairs, minister or state minister for social welfare, a woman member of parliament nominated by the speaker, secretaries of the home, industries, health, and women & children affairs ministries, presidents of the FBCCI and the Jatiya Press Club, professor or associate professor nominated by vice-chancellor of Dhaka University either from chemistry, applied chemistry, bio-chemistry and pharmacy departments, and an expert from BCSIR and two persons from NGO nominated by the government.

The council meeting also discussed the ongoing case between Tulip, a computer company of the Netherlands, and the Bangladesh government over payment of compensation to the company following the cancellation of an agreement with the government on supplying computers.

The meeting asked the ambassadors of Belgium and the Netherlands to open up dialogue with Tulip to settle the matter out of the court.

Tulip made an agreement during the caretaker government on June 30, 2001. Under the agreement, the company was to provide around 10,888 computers worth about Tk 100 crore with 50 percent Dutch grant for 3,382 educational institutions.

As the agreement was scrapped in 2003, Tulip filed a case with a Dutch court and the court in a unilateral decree ordered the Bangladesh government to pay Tk 31 crore in compensation to the company. Bangladesh government preferred an appeal to the Dutch court against the decree and the court is set to pronounce its verdict on September 11 this year.

Tulip has made an offer to settle the matter out of the court if the government purchases computers from the company.

A presentation on the activities of the local government was also made at the meeting.

Advisers to the caretaker government, the cabinet secretary, the press secretary to the chief adviser and other secretaries concerned were present at the meeting held at the Chief Adviser's Office.