Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has made a fresh offer to resolve the standoff over reforms of the caretaker government system, urging the opposition to sit across the table candidly for a decision. "We want to resolve all issues through dialogue, not on the streets. The door is still open," she said while addressing a public meeting in the city's Lalbagh area yesterday.

The prime minister referred to her earlier proposal for dialogue and said after exchanging some letters the opposition is now reluctant to move forward to that direction.

Khaleda, also the chairperson of the ruling BNP, urged people to vote for the BNP-led four-party alliance candidates in the next general elections to maintain the trend of democracy and development.

Listing various development works carried out by the coalition government in the last four and a half years, she said continuity of government is an imperative for maintaining the development process. Otherwise, the development activities will be stalled.

She said when people are united with the politics of production and development, a party is conspiring to halt development.

"Today our opposition is unleashing chaos, anarchy and disorder in the name of movement and killing people and damaging public property, the prime minister told the rally.

People can take correct decision and know how to advance the country, and so the people of Dhaka city voted for the BNP and alliance candidates in all the eight constituencies in 2001 election, she observed.

Chaired by local MP Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu, the rally was addressed, among others, by BNP Secretary General and LGRD Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Public Works Minister Mirza Abbas, City Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Prime Minister's Political Secretary Harris Chowdhury, State Minister for Labor

and Employment Amanullah Aman and City BNP General Secretary Abdus Salam.

About traffic congestion in the city, she said the government has taken up plans to construct more flyovers and new roads to ease the traffic chaos.

She said the government has planned to connect Mohakhali flyover through old airport to Agargaon to get over the traffic jam.

On power, the prime minister said there are some problems of electricity in the country, as the consumption of power has increased manifold due to the setting up of many new industries, mills and factories, schools, colleges, offices, businesses and other installations.

And her government has taken steps to set up more new power plants to meet the growing demand and solve the problem, she told the meeting.

Earlier, the prime minister inaugurated Bangladesh College of Leather Technology Complex at Hazaribagh.

She also inaugurated a new unit of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College at Azimpur and exchanged pleasantries with the teachers and students.

The prime minister then laid foundation stones of a power substation near cross-dam in Hazaribagh area, community center and 31-bed hospital at Rasulpur of Kamrangichar and a new building of Madrasa Education Board at Bakshibazar.