BTRC chief resigns

Bangladesh Telecommuni-cation Regulatory Commission (BTRC) chief Manzurul Alam resigned yesterday to make way for a new chief to be appointed by this government.
"I have resigned. I would like to thank you all for your cooperation," Alam, who was appointed by the caretaker government, told officials at his farewell meeting yesterday afternoon.
It is not yet clear who would replace Manzurul.
Sources in the BTRC said he had been asked to resign a few days after this government assumed power. The telecom industry stakeholders also expected his departure. He was hard on indiscipline in the sector.
Alam was appointed chairman of BTRC on April 22, 2007. Having an army background, Alam came into the limelight by conducting a massive drive against illegal international call terminations conducted by local and foreign operators.
During his around 22-month tenure, Alam was a little criticised for his approach to make BTRC a revenue earner rather than a regulator. Introducing too many technologies in a very short time and his intention to make BTRC an extraordinary regulator by amending laws also sparked criticism.
Another issue that questioned the commission as a whole was taking Tk 10 crore reward from the government for the commission's performance in 2007-08 fiscal year. The BTRC later distributed the money among its officials. No other commission in the country took such rewards.
A team of Rapid Action Battalion played a vital role in the drive against illegal international calls. However, the members of the law enforcement agency did not get the reward.