Our Correspondent

CHITTAGONG, Jan 28: The BNP-Jama'at backed engineers have boycotted the IEB convention now going on in Chittagong for not handing over responsibility to the newly elected body.

The candidates under yellow panel of the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh announced the boycott at a press conference at Chittagong Press Club this afternoon.

Elected honorary general secretary Engineer Meah Md Quaiym said they had boycotted the AGM and Convention of IEB to protest pro-government engineers' conspiracy to keep the forum under their absolute control.

It was also addressed by Muhit Rumi, Abdur Rouf and Kazi Sufian.

He said that the court had earlier issued a stay order on the IEB election process as one of the candidates expressed his dissent over the results of the election. But the stay order was also withdrawn by the court on Sunday. The outgoing committee was supposed to hand over responsibility to newly elected committee in the 56th AGM on that day, he said.

"That is why the leader of the opposition in parliament Khaleda Zia did not attend the closing session as was scheduled today. On the same ground we have also boycotted the programme," he said.

Former president of IEB Engineer Delwar Majumder told the media earlier today that Khaleda Zia had expressed her inability to attend the closing ceremony of the convention due to her illness.

Majumder said, as a rule the issue of power hand over to new committee was scheduled to be placed in the central council first followed by assumption of the new committee. But this time the court has ruled stay order on the whole election process until February 27, he added.

He further said that the court order has now been withdrawn but the AGM is postponed. The new committee will take responsibility of IEB through adjourned meeting following submission of certified copy from the court.

The three day convention started on Saturday last at the IEB Chittagong Centre. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally inaugurated the same as the chief guest. Khaleda Zia was supposed to attend the closing ceremony as the chief guest on Monday.

Election of the executive body of the IEB was held on December 24 last and the new committee of IEB, Chittagong, was supposed to be sworn in through this convention, which is long standing tradition, the engineers said adding that it could not be done due to legal bindings following a case lodged by a candidate.