The Council of Advisers yesterday finally approved the Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (Amendment) Ordinance 2008 to remake the state-owned BTTB into a public limited company.

In its weekly meeting, with Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed in the chair, the council also approved a proposal for signing and ratifying the Optional Protocol of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which would help protect the interests of about 89 lakh disabled people in Bangladesh.

Earlier, Bangladesh signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on May 9, 2007 and November 30, 2007 respectively.

So far, 126 UN member states have signed the UN Convention and 20 countries ratified the convention while optional protocol of the convention was signed by 71 members and ratified by 13.

The meeting approved the BTTB (Amendment) Ordinance 2008 amending some sections of the Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board Ordinance 1979. It also okayed Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association.

As per the new ordinance, all types of property of the BTTB will be transferred to a public limited company under provision of the Companies Act. There is also provision for transfer of the submarine cable and land station of the phone board to the public limited company in the making.

BTTB will be abolished after the transfer of all its properties to the up-and-coming company The amended law provides for absorbing all officials and employees of the BTTB in the jobs under the limited company as per conditions of an agreement to be signed with the public limited company.

A proposal for amending some sections of the Town Improvement Act 1953 to bring dynamism in the management of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) through necessary overhauling was also placed before the council meet ing. The meeting sent it back for further examination.

Members of the advisory council attended the meeting at the CA's office. Cabinet secretary, CA's press secretary and secretaries concerned were also present.