Dhaka: State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Mir Shahe Alam, emphasized today that constructing a clean and green Dhaka is among the government's foremost priorities. He highlighted that demonstrating tangible progress at the grassroots level, rather than restricting efforts to meetings or planning, is now the crucial responsibility.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the state minister articulated these points while addressing a meeting at the Local Government Division's conference room at the Secretariat. The gathering aimed to review the advancement of tree plantation, beautification, waste removal, and the replacement of waste bins across various locations under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), in accordance with the Prime Minister's directives.
The meeting initiated with a presentation that showcased the overall progress of tree plantation and beautification initiatives undertaken by the two city corporations, alongside ongoing programs and future action plans. Various non-governmental and voluntary organizations have been collaboratively engaged in executing urban cleanliness and greening activities, it was informed.
As the chief guest, the state minister stated that initiatives should be executed in a planned manner to ensure that citizens can practically benefit from them. He instructed the authorities to expedite the ongoing activities, stressing the need to evaluate pilot projects' effectiveness before launching new large-scale projects. Successful initiatives would subsequently be expanded on a larger scale, he added.
The state minister also directed the authorities to compile an updated list of locations where tree plantation, beautification, and cleanliness activities are underway. He urged them to maintain specific records and submit detailed information to the ministry regarding newly-planted trees, completed beautification efforts, and waste bin installations.
Highlighting the significance of regular supervision and effective field-level monitoring of cleanliness activities, he emphasized the necessity of maintaining continuity in efforts to develop a clean city. He pointed out that the Prime Minister also closely supervises and inspects these activities, insisting that every initiative must be realistic, effective, and visible.
He called upon all stakeholders to collaborate in implementing the government's "Clean and Green City" initiative. The meeting was attended by Dhaka-7 lawmaker Hamidur Rahman, DSCC Administrator Bir Muktijoddha Md. Abdus Salam, Chief Executive Officer Md. Zahirul Islam, and other senior officials from the ministry.