Bangladesh: A parliamentary panel has asked the Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation (SPARRSO) ‘to examine’ the viability of Bangladesh’s plan for launching a multi-purpose satellite in space.
The Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Defence was reported to have asked SPARRSO to look into the feasibility of the plan. The Bangladesh Government earlier took up the plan for launching a satellite for enabling better telecommunication services. But the plan remained in papers and the SPARRSO, which is depending on satellites of other countries for space research, should find out whether a satellite dedicated to Bangladesh is feasible.
Earlier the Post and Telecommunications Minister announced that his ministry was negotiating with a number of countries including China, Germany and Russia for getting technical support for launching the high-tech project. The Chinese vice-president Xi Jinpeng during his visit to Dhaka assured Bangladesh all possible technical support for the project. Bangladesh wants the satellite for improvement of telecom services, television programmes, mapping natural resources and obtaining meteorological data for disaster warnings.
The parliamentary panel suggested transferring of the SPARRSO to the Ministry of Science, Information and Communication Technology from the Ministry of Defence as many foreign nations are reluctant to assist SPARRSO because it is under the Ministry of Defence. Many sensitive and high-tech researches abroad are nowadays being done by non-military organisations and they feel at ease to work without involvement of the Ministry of Defence. The parliamentary committee also asked the secretary of the Defence Ministry to prepare and submit a report on transferring SPARRSO to the Science and ICT Ministry as soon as possible. The committee suggested the filling of the vacant posts of scientists at the SPARRSO to make it a fully effective.
Source: The New Nation
