Home ministry prefers Dhaka schools closed in Ramadan

The home ministry has decided to request the education ministry to keep educational institutions in Dhaka city closed in Ramadan in order to ease traffic congestion in the month of fasting.

The minister for home, Sahara Khatun, after a meeting on law and order at the secretariat, informed newsmen about the decision.

'Traffic turns more chaotic in Ramadan. So we decided to request the education ministry to keep the schools and colleges closed during Ramadan. It will help ease the situation,' she said.

The ministry will also request the ministries concerned to ensure uninterrupted power supply during sehri and iftar and asked the shopping malls to save power by avoiding additional lights to attract shoppers.

The meeting also pointed to labour unrests at apparel factories ahead of Eid and decided to consult the ministries concerned, factory owners and labour groups to take necessary steps to pay wages, festival allowance and grant leaves before Eid. 'We will instruct factory owners through the ministry concerned to pay the workers all wages and allowances before Eid,' the home minister said.

Sahara also said the number of mobile courts would be increased to check sale of contaminated food items, especially iftar items.

The meeting also called for repairing the damaged parts of different highways, restricting weekly markets on highways and disciplining flow of traffic. It also decided to restrict carrying passenger on goods trucks to avoid mishaps.

It should be ensured that launches and other transports do not carry passengers beyond capacity ahead of Eid, the meeting said.

Sahara warned that legal actions would be taken if vessels carry additional passengers.

The minister also said closed circuit television cameras would be installed at shopping malls to check extortion and snatching. She said the 15 lawmakers in Dhaka had been asked to monitor law and order.

The secretary for home affairs, Abdus Sobhan Sikder, and senior officials of the police and intelligence agencies were present at the meeting.

Source : New Age