Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan has urged the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives to take immediate steps for repairing all the roads in major industrial areas. He made the request during a meeting with LGRD and Co-operatives Minister Md Tazul Islam MP at the secretariat on Thursday. BGMEA First Vice President Syed Nazrul Islam, Vice President Shahidullah Azim and Vice President Md. Nasir Uddin also attended the meeting. Read: Govt allows Bangladeshi companies to make overseas equity investment The BGMEA leaders said Gazipur, Chattogram, Narayganj, Savar, Ashulia and Mawna are the industrial hubs of Bangladesh where hundreds of industries including export-oriented garment factories are situated. But severe traffic jams due to damaged roads in the areas are causing immense sufferings for regular commuters including workers, employees and entrepreneurs every day and badly impacting the apparel and textile sector and other industries, they said. Transportation of raw materials and finished goods are seriously disrupted as goods-laden vehicles have to wait long hours on the dilapidated roads, they said.While nagging traffic jams take up from the valuable lead-time, extra hours in transportation is adding to production cost. Moreover, buyers and their representatives often show their unwillingness to travel to factories because of shabby road conditions, which is not good for the country’s image. The BGMEA leaders requested the LGRD Minister to take measures for repairing all the roads in the industrial areas in the quickest possible time to ensure smooth vehicular and passenger movement on the roads. Read: Japanese economic zone to go into production in 2023: Envoy They also apprised the LGRD Minister of the problems being faced by garment exporters in cases of issuance and renewal of trade licenses particularly in Gazipur City Corporation. The garment factories are facing difficulties in renewing their trade licenses after the Gazipur City Corporation added the condition of paying holding tax before license renewal. The BGMEA President urged the Minister to take measures to address the issues.

Tormented by mosquito menace, the city dwellers continue to blame the city authorities for not doing enough to save them from mosquito-borne diseases, particularly Dengue. The mosquito menace is a major issue in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) as elsewhere in the capital. Despite DSCC's claim of conducting mosquito control drives regularly, the city dwellers are not getting relief from the torment of mosquitoes. According to residents of DSCC, the city corporation has not been able to destroy the breeding grounds of mosquitoes. Like the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), the people in the south city area have failed to protect themselves even after using mosquito nets, mosquito coils, electric bats, and mosquito repellent sprays. The problem during the daytime is relatively tolerable but it becomes unbearable at night in home, office-court, educational institutions. Read: DSCC conducts drive against Aedes mosquito as dengue cases rise The city’s worst-hit areas include Malibagh, Rampura, Banasree, Meradia, Goran, Khilgaon, Jatrabari, Sayedabad, Dhanmondi, Old Dhaka, Fakirapul, Arambagh, Paltan, Motijheel, Kamalapur, Maniknagar, Basabo, Mugda, Khilgaon, Dholaikhal, Kuril, Mir Hajaribag, Shyampur, Kamrangirchar, Sutrapur, Mohammadpur and Hazaribagh.

All parties -- the field administration, law enforcement agencies and public representatives-- have been asked to communicate regularly to avoid misundetstanding and untoward incidents as recently seen in Barishal, said Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam on Monday. The directive was issued  from the LGRD Ministry and the Cabinet Division, he said while briefing reporters after the weekly Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat. Read: Barishal clash: Two cases filed against UNO Munibur Rahman The Cabinet Secretary said the leaders of Bangladesh Administrative Service Association (BASA) admitted that they made a mistake by using inappropriate words in their statement over Barishal incident. He said they sat in a meeting on Sunday where the secretaries and officials differed with the BASA statement saying that such words should not have been used in it. “Those who were from the Administrative Service Association also agreed with it (the opinion) and said it was actually a mistake,” he said replying to a question. In response  to a separate question, the Cabinet Secretary said such embarrassing incidents mostly happen due to miscommunication. “This is why, an instruction has been given to all at the field level, including administration, law enforcement agencies and public representatives, to interact among themselves  regularly,” he said. Read:Barishal violence: 2 ruling party activists lose eyesight He said misunderstanding and untoward incidents occur for lack of interaction. Noting that they do not know what exactly was behind the Barishal incident, he said all parties –mayor, commissioner and law enforcement agency -- were asked to sit in a parley first to solve the problem by finding out as to why such an embarrassing situation occurred.

The local government, rural development, and cooperatives ministry has suspended a union parishad (UP) chairman of Barishal for being imprisoned on charges of extortion.

The government plans to add some 5,550 kilometres to the rural roads network, alongside 31,000 metres of bridges/culvert extensions that help to make the roads more accessible while at the same time taking them into the heart of communities.

The LGRD Ministry on Wednesday suspended the chairman and six members of Gopalpur Union Parishad in Faridpur’s Alfadanga upazila for relief embezzlement. 

The Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry has suspended a ward councilor of Brahmanbaria municipality over irregularities in relief distribution.

The Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives on Thursday allocated Tk 30.63 crore for the city corporations and the municipalities across the country to fight coronavirus and dengue.

The Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry has suspended a Union Parishad (UP) chairman and two UP members over irregularities in relief distribution.

 LGRD Ministry issued a notification in this regard on Thursday. So far, 52 public representatives have been suspended for misappropriating relief materials. Among them, there are 19 UP chairmen, 31 UP members, one Zila Parishad members and a councillor of a municipality.