Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Spokesperson Mahdi Amin on Monday said that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's ten directives have brought about ‘visible positive changes’ in this year's Eid management.
“Special importance was given to 10 people-oriented issues in the government’s activities centering this year’s Eid-ul-Azha. Ensuring smooth Eid travel, payment of workers’ wages and allowances, protection of the domestic livestock market, rapid waste removal, discipline in public transport, prevention of extortion and syndicates, uninterrupted power supply, ensuring public safety, proper management of the leather sector and maintaining stability in the market for essential commodities were among the key directives of the Honorable Prime Minister,” he said.
Mahdi, also an adviser to the Prime Minister, made the remarks at a press conference held at the PMO in the city’s Tejgaon area this afternoon to brief the media on various people-oriented initiatives directed by the Prime Minister during Eid-ul-Azha.
The coordinated implementation of these initiatives has brought visible positive changes in various aspects of Eid management and reflected efforts to make state services more people-oriented, he said.
“Taking this initiative as a path, one of the commitments of the current government will be to face all the challenges of the future, strengthen the rule of law and democratic values and give this trend of good governance a sustainable institutional form under the leadership of the people’s leader Mr. Tarique Rahman. Success of the democratic government in this sincere journey for public welfare is inevitable, InShaAllah,” said the PMO spokesperson.
Stating that the country’s people understand the hard reality that the institutional decay and destruction caused by 16 years of fascist rule cannot be completely eliminated in just three months, he said nevertheless, the people, exhausted by long years of misrule, felt during this Eid that the state is sensitive to their needs and that the administration is not merely a center of power but an effective and responsible means of public service.
Mahdi said this was the first Eid-ul-Azha celebrated after the government elected by the people took office.
Under the directives of the Prime Minister, he said, all concerned ministers, state ministers, advisers, members of parliament, and others showed the highest level of sincerity and responsibility in celebrating this Eid, which is an unprecedented event in recent political history.
However, if any administrative shortcomings or lack of coordination were observed anywhere, the government remains committed and sincere in identifying and resolving them quickly and effectively, the PMO spokesperson added.
Speaking at the press conference, Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman noted that the Prime Minister has been working relentlessly, saying, “Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman is always striving for the development of Bangladesh as well as maintaining cleanliness and promoting good deeds.”
“You may have noticed that while most of us enjoyed the government holidays, the Prime Minister did not sit at home for a single moment. He worked throughout,” he said, adding, “Those of us who work closely with him see every day that he (PM) is constantly thinking about what needs to be done, where and how, and then putting those thoughts into action.”
On the day after Eid, the Prime Minister personally drove through the streets and alleys of Dhaka with Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Abdus Salam to see whether waste removal had been completed, Ruman said, adding, wherever cleaning was incomplete or negligence was found, the Prime Minister called the responsible persons directly from his vehicle.
“The Prime Minister closely monitored the removal of sacrificial animals’ waste and personally inspected the situation. He did not stop there while sitting at home. He called those who had been negligent and reminded them that the country belongs to everyone and that the city must be kept clean,” he said.
The Additional Press Secretary said, “A photo card or a short video clip suddenly goes viral on digital media, newspapers, television, online platforms, or Facebook. Many of us in mainstream media copy and spread these without verification. We do not consider how much harm this may cause to an individual, a political party, a country or an administration.”
“My request to you is that before doing so, regardless of who is involved, we should speak to the concerned person, take time, consider the facts, and then decide whether to publicize or spread it. Otherwise, many people are being harmed,” Ruman added.
At the press conference, Mahdi Amin highlighted the Prime Minister’s ten directives.
The government extended public holidays to up to one week by coordinating them with regular weekly holidays, allowing people to spend more time with their families, he said, adding, round-the-clock monitoring and special arrangements have been made to ensure the smooth travel of home-bound people and to maintain overall discipline.
As a result, traffic pressure on highways was significantly reduced in the days leading up to Eid, the PMO spokesperson said, adding, the familiar scenes of massive traffic jams and prolonged suffering were comparatively under control this year.
Although overall traffic management improved and road accidents decreased compared to previous years, some families’ Eid joy turned into lifelong sorrow, he said, adding, despite administrative vigilance, reckless driving and lack of awareness caused several tragic accidents, claiming some lives.
“The road accident in Tangail and the deaths of a mother and daughter after being hit by a train deeply saddened us. We express deep condolences over these losses. In any future festival, we must ensure the safety of human life at all costs and by raising public awareness,” Mahdi said.
To ensure payment of outstanding wages and bonuses for workers of different sectors including the readymade garments before Eid, Mahdi said the government engaged banks, factory owners, workers, and various associations. Through coordinated planning, a peaceful and festive environment was ensured for industrial workers, he added.
Unlike previous years, there were no major highway blockades or unrest over unpaid wages, the PMO spokesperson said, adding, nearly all factories paid wages and benefits on time, enabling millions of workers and their families to celebrate Eid with financial comfort.
Mahdi said strict instructions were issued to prevent illegal cattle smuggling across the border to protect the interest of the local farmers, adding that there was a round-the-clock monitoring system in the cattle markets.
There was no shortage of sacrificial animals across the country due to the sufficient supply of domestic cows, goats, buffaloes and sheep in the market, he said, adding, against the demand of about 1.1 crore animals, there were 1.23 crore animals available for sacrifice, and thus, for the first time, self-sufficiency in sacrificial animals was ensured.
The closure of illegal entry of Indian cattle and control of long-lasting influential syndicates allowed small and medium traders to operate comfortably, Mahdi said, adding, “In the past years, we have seen public suffering due to the setting up of cattle markets on the streets, but this time, people have been relieved from traffic congestion by setting up cattle markets in open areas instead of on the streets”.
Noting that most of the marginal farmers and households got fair prices this year, positively impacting the rural economy, he said, however, due to oversupply, some small farmers could not sell their animals at expected prices.
“The government has not ignored this issue. The government is committed to protecting the interests of small and marginal farmers, further improving market management and ensuring their fair economic security in the future,” the PMO spokesperson said.
Specific plans were adopted and additional manpower was deployed from noon of the Eid day in Dhaka’s two city corporations and other major municipalities, Mahdi said, adding, most of the sacrificial animals’ waste in Dhaka was removed within 8 to 12 hours, a process that previously took several days.
The achievement of cleanliness almost everywhere, except for a few isolated places, during the night of Eid is a new milestone in local civic service, he said, adding, “I applaud the sanitation workers of the concerned city corporations and municipalities involved in this waste removal, who were engaged in maintaining the cleanliness and beauty of the city without spending time with their families.”
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman personally inspected waste removal operations by driving through different areas of the capital the following day, which is an unprecedented instance, the PMO spokesperson said.
During the inspection, several regional executive officers of Dhaka North and South City Corporations were immediately suspended on the instructions of the Prime Minister for their negligence in removing sacrificial animals’ waste, he said, adding, this demonstrated the government's strong stance on ensuring responsibility, accountability and quality of service.
“The Prime Minister's physical supervision and the mentality of being directly involved in the happiness and sorrow of the people have greatly increased the enthusiasm of field-level officials and employees,” Mahdi said.
The PMO spokesperson said that strict monitoring was ensured to prevent fare hikes, adding that for the first time, reserved coaches for women were introduced on railways while special fare discounts were offered to senior citizens and persons with disabilities on metro rail services.
There was no incident of any additional fare collection during this Eid journey, rather, a 5-8 percent discount has been arranged for the launch fares depending on the route determined by the government, he said, adding, the fare list has been kept visible through digital boards and stickers at all transport stations including buses and launches.
Wheelchairs and trolleys have been provided in the launch, the launch ghats have been kept completely free of porters and hawkers while no passenger has to spend money to carry goods, Mahdi said, adding, new launch ghats have been established in the Bachila and Kanchan Bridge areas and launches have been launched regularly from there, as a result of which people have been able to travel from these places on an area-by-area basis, not everyone has to go to Sadarghat. This incident is surely an unforgettable initiative of the government, he said.
Mahdi said that the unprecedented role of the concerned ministry and administration in ensuring fair fares and harassment-free passenger services was strong and courageous.
Police and law enforcement agencies have played an effective and strong role in preventing extortion in livestock trucks, the PMO spokesperson said, adding, at the same time, they have also taken a strict stance in stopping extortion outside the lease at cattle markets.
By controlling extortion incidents by stopping livestock trucks on the highway, an artificial crisis was not created in the market, prices was not increased abnormally due to the instigation of middlemen, and ordinary buyers were able to purchase animals at relatively stable prices, he said.
Mahdi said the Power Division was instructed to ensure uninterrupted power supply by taking advantage of the closure of factories during the Eid holidays and coordinating energy management.
Despite years of limitations in production, maximum efforts have been made to keep load shedding levels to a minimum in most areas of the country on Eid and the following days, even in this intense heat, he said, adding, a coordinated and effective power management plan has brought some relief to the consumer level in light of the reality.
In the electricity sector, a haven of corruption during the fascist regime, the relevant authorities have demonstrated the utmost professionalism in addressing the power outages caused by seasonal disasters by coordinating demand and supply at the consumer level, the PMO spokesperson said.
Strict vigilance was tightened on various sensitive issues related to sacrifice or law and order situation that went viral on social media, Mahdi said, adding, as per the highest decision of the state, the controversial buffalo named ‘Donald Trump’ was preserved and sent to the zoo to ensure stability by avoiding possible unpleasant and chaotic situations.
There was no significant social conflict or law and order situation during the Eid-ul-Azha day or this shutdown, he said, adding, Eid prayers were held in a festive atmosphere across the country in a blend of brotherhood, harmony and goodwill.
The government ensured salt supplies and set a minimum price for rawhide in advance to break the syndicate of tannery owners, Mahdi said, adding, the culture that had developed in the past where seasonal traders threw hides on the streets when they did not get a price for them, has now been greatly reduced due to field-level monitoring.
The government is working with utmost importance to ensure proper management of rawhide during the Qurbani season, he said, adding, field-level supervision and information gathering have been continued to ensure that there is no syndicate or manipulation in the sale and purchase of rawhide.
Although there is information about unsold rawhide in some places, it is much less compared to recent years, the PMO spokesperson said, adding, the government will take multifaceted initiatives to ensure fair prices for the rawhide of sacrificial animals in the future.
Special task forces regularly monitored markets to control the prices of rice, lentils, spices, oil, sugar, and other essential commodities before the Eid, Mahdi said, adding, despite the pressure of rising commodity prices in the international market, the sudden price hikes in the retail market during the festive season have been largely kept under control thanks to government surveillance.
In coordination with manufacturers, importers, and government-related institutions, he said, the highest priority was given to keeping inflation under control and keeping it within the purchasing power of the marginalized people.
"Yet, the people are tired of the long-standing misrule, corruption, and mismanagement," Mahdi said.
Prime Minister's Speech Writer Mahfuzur Rahman, Deputy Press Secretaries Jahidul Islam Rony and Md Suzauddhowla and Assistant Press Secretaries Md Nazmul Haque Khan and Abdullah Al Mahmud Shahriar were present at the press conference.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
