Building owners in all city corporations and municipalities will get a 10 percent rebate on the holding tax for rooftop gardening, said Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Md Tajul Islam on Wednesday (June 14, 2023). “The decision has been taken to bring down the temperature,” said the minister at a meeting at the conference room of the Local Government Division at the Secretariat. Read: Environmental discipline needed to realise 'livable Dhaka': LGRD Minister Talking about upcoming Eid-ul-Azha, he said that instructions have been given to the authorities concerned to clear the sacrificial animal waste by evening of the Eid day. “Animal waste is usually removed by the evening. This time too, the same instructions have been given. Besides, animals will have to be sacrificed at designated places,” he said. Read: Govt takes up masterplan to prevent river pollution in and around Dhaka: LGRD Minister Efforts have been made to ensure that there will be no pollution from sacrificial animal waste, the minister added.

In an effort to prevent water pollution and to free the river banks from encroachment, the government has taken up a masterplan to prevent water pollution of six rivers in Dhaka and its adjacent areas, said Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam. “We must take coordinated efforts to prevent pollution of resources like water and air,” he said while speaking at a programme on ‘Master plan on Meghna River’ at a hotel in the city on Sunday. He also urged the development partners to play a more active role in overcoming the damage caused by climate change. Tajul also urged all to be more cautious to protect the resources like water from pollution.  

Anti-dengue drive will be conducted round the year, said Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam.“We have decided to conduct drive to control dengue till December. The authorities have divided the seasons in two segments—peak season and lean season,” he said while talking to reporters after the first inter-ministerial meeting over dengue menace at the Secretariat.DGHS has recorded 875 dengue cases in Bangladesh from January till April 8 while the number of dengue cases in Philippines is 19,404, in Vietnam 15, 129, in Sri Lanka 14,989 , in Malaysia 17,388 and in Singapore 11,962 from January to March this year, he said.Compared to the six other countries, Bangladesh is in a better position and it has been possible only for regular monitoring, he added. Also read: 5 more dengue patients hospitalised in 24 hrsDhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sheikh Fazle Nur Taposh, Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury and LGRD secretary Muhammad Ibrahim were present at the meeting.DSCC mayor Mayor Sheikh Fazle Nur Taposh, said, “We have taken plan to conduct drive throughout the year as the dengue spread to winter due to the climate change.”

Newly elected chairmen and members of 59 Zila Parishads of the country were sworn in on Monday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina administered the oath to the newly elected chairmen of the Zila Parishads at a ceremony at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the city. Read more: Zila Parishad polls were peaceful, disciplined, says CEC Besides, LGRD Minister Md Tazul Islam administered the oath to the newly elected members of the Zila Parishads. The elections to 57 Zila Parshads were held on 17th October, while chairmen of Bhola and Chapainawanbganj districts were elected uncontested.

LGRD Minister Md Tazul Islam has said public-private partnerships can be the catalyst for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 in Bangladesh, as the private sector has been identified as a key financing source by the country. "Financing is a key aspect of continuing momentum on delivering the SDGs at the local level. While the government emphasises financing development activities at the grassroots level, we need to work more to ensure that the resources of the government can bring the best possible outcome in achieving SDGs," he added. The minister was speaking as the chief guest in a national-level workshop organised jointly by the government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the key integrator of SDGs in the UN system, at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre Thursday. The workshop, "SDG Localisation in Nine Lagging Districts: Findings and way forward" was organised to share the results of the efforts in nine lagging districts: Sunamganj, Kurigram, Natore, Cox's Bazar, Patuakhali, Satkhira, Gopalganj, Sherpur and Feni. "The SDG Implementation Review Report shows that Bangladesh has not only adopted the SDGs in the development agenda but also has started the process of translating the goals according to local priorities, which is termed as SDG localization," Tazul said. Read: LGRD minister urges public representatives to build 'creative society' Zuena Aziz, principal coordinator for SDGs at the Prime Minister's Office, said: "We partnered with the UN to pilot and define the approach in nine lagging districts across Bangladesh, with at least one district from each of the eight divisions." "For that, we ask not only development partners but also the private sector and civil society to come forward with their resources, knowledge, and solutions." "Bangladesh government has given more emphasis on SDG localisation. The country has identified 39+1 national priority indicators and took significant steps towards setting the framework for institutionalising the SDGs at different levels," said Gwyn Lewis, UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh. UNDP Resident Representative Stefan Liller said: "There is an important funding gap to achieve the SDGs both at the national and local levels. An estimation from 2017 shows that an additional $928 billion are needed only in Bangladesh." "So, we need to think and act on how to generate new financing instruments and new financing streams to bridge that gap – in this case, for local priorities. We also need to explore innovative solutions of how funding for local priorities can be channelled, allocated, coordinated, spent and reported in more efficient ways." Read: People from all religions must be united to stop conspiracy: LGRD Minister "Sweden is a strong promoter of democratic governance, and we are happy to have been a development part in this process," said Maria Stridsman, head of cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden. "It's quite obvious, with local involvement, you are much more likely to develop a solution which will fit local problems. And that is also the case for Bangladesh."

LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam has said that no subsidy will be provided by Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Dhaka WASA) from now on.  The minister also said that lower income people living in the city’s slums will be getting water at lower prices once zone-wise water rates are fixed. Tajul was speaking at a training programme organized by the City Reporters’ Forum at the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) Auditorium on Friday. “Most of the people living in Dhaka city are well-off. There is no point in supplying water both to the higher and the lower income people at the same rate. We’ll soon fix the prices of water according to different zones after which those living in affluent areas will pay higher price for water than those living in impoverished areas,” said the minister. Tajul added that the time has come for implementing the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) that has been published as a gazette recently. Read: Tajul briefs JS on Wasa, city corporations' projects to serve capital “The DAP gazette has been published after much effort. It will help turning Dhaka into a livable, modern and scenic city. We need everyone’s help in implementing the plan,” added the Minister. The event was presided over by City Reporters’ Forum President Adilur Rahman. Zafar Wazed, director general (DG) of PIB, Dwip Azad, secretary general of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and Nazrul Islam Mithu, president of Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) were present at the event.

Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam on Saturday urged the people of all religious faiths to remain united to stop any conspiracy against the country."If people of all religions including Muslims and Hindus remain united, no one will be able to halt the development spree of the country, no matter how many conspiracies the anti-liberation forces make against the country," he said. Read: Police were always in favour of AL no who stayed in power: Land MinisterThe minister made these remarks while addressing a discussion and cultural function marking the central Janmashtami celebration-2022 arranged by Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee at Dhakeshwari National Temple Saturday afternoon.Once people of some religions including Hindus used to live in insecurity in Bangladesh. But after coming to power, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ensured the safety of people of all religions, including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists. "Now people can practice their respective religion freely".The government is determined to ensure the rights of the people of all religions, added the minister."A vested quarter is trying to make Bangladesh into Sri Lanka. He called upon the people of the country to remain alert against these conspirators."

Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam has directed the authorities concerned to avoid unnecessary projects to save the government money. He also urged them to implement any project after analyzing its impact and output. The minister made the remarks while addressing at the progress review meeting of the measures taken to resolve the waterlogging of the Chattogram metropolis organized in the conference room at the ministry on Sunday. Read: Power Division, USAID sign agreement to cut carbon emissions “Chattogram is known as the economic hub of the country and we can make it an idol city of the country. For that, we need to see how much progress has been made over the projects that have been taken to alleviate Chattogram's waterlogging. It is very unfortunate if it is implemented without verification, added the minister.” Asking to keep the canals and drains clean, the minister said, "Some of you have occupied the canal and constructed buildings illegally and stopped the flow of water. Everyone should be aware so that the lives of billions of people cannot be tiresome for a few people. The minister also ordered to free all canals. “If we fulfill the responsibility assigned to us properly then our next generation will get a prosperous and beautiful country, '' hopes the minister. Read: HSBC Bangladesh gets 1st female head of retail banking The minister said that waterlogging is a big problem in Chattogram. The Prime Minister has given instructions to solve this problem immediately. According to her instructions, initiatives have been taken to solve this problem as well as other problems. Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud, Education Deputy Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nawfel, and Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury were also present at the meeting.  

LGRD Minister Md. Tazul Islam on Thursday said local government institutions need to be accountable to people by providing better services to the community and the local representatives should earn dignity by their work for people. “Capacities of the local government institutions (LGIs) of Bangladesh, their accountability and transparency have increased to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 after the successful implementation of the 5-year-long “Efficient and Accountable Local Governance (EALG)” project. Good practices should be replicated,” he said.  The minister while speaking at an event titled “Stakeholders’ Conference on Local Governance: Progress, Learning and Way Forward” organized by the Local Government Division (LGD) of the ministry and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC). Addressing the conference as a special guest, Sudipto Mukerjee, Resident Representative of UNDP Bangladesh said EALG project has been working with the local government for the last five years to localize SDGs and build the capacity of Union Parishads and Upazila Parishad and provide policy support to the government for establishing effective local government systems, leaving no one behind. He thanked Switzerland and Denmark for their support to implement the project and stressed the importance of continuing the support to the local government. Read: LGRD Minister directs WASA to fix water price in capital rationally Nathalie Chuard, Ambassador, Embassy of Switzerland said, “In relation to strengthening local governance in Bangladesh, we work with the government and development partners to ensure transparency, accountability, efficiency and inclusivity so that no one is left behind.” “One of the key lessons we learned from EALG is that coordinated development planning and monitoring by the local government is crucial to ensure effective and optimum utilization of scarce resources and also avoid overlapping of activities,” she added. Earlier, Md. Mozammel Haque, Programme Analyst, UNDP Bangladesh, presented the keynote paper on EALG Project and its Key Achievements.  Among others, Mohammed Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury, Secretary, Local Government Division, Shariful Hoque, Project Coordinator of the EALG Project, Deputy Director of Local Government from nine districts; Chairman & Vice Chairman of Upazila Parishads and Chairman of Union Parishads; Upazila Nirbahi Officers also spoke. With support from the Embassy of Switzerland and Denmark, the Efficient and Accountable Local Governance (EALG) project of the Local Government Division and UNDP has been implemented in 251 UPs and 18 UZPs under nine districts. 

LGRD Minister Tazul Islam has said wholesale and retail kitchen markets should be set up at places designated  by the government to reduce traffic jam and public hassles. “Action will be taken against those who will set up shops occupying roads that hampers people’s movement,” he said. He said this on Thursday after visiting Gabtoli kitchen market aiming to relocate Karwan Bazar there. Also read: LGRD Minister directs WASA to fix water price in capital rationally “Karwan Bazar was established long ago and goods from this market are distributed in retail markets of the city. Traders coming from different parts of the country struggle to reach here while distribution also becomes a struggle due to traffic jam. So we have started working on how Karwan Bazar can be shifted to a different suitable point of Dhaka,” he said. He said wholesale and retail kitchen markets should not set up at the same place in densely populated areas and it is better if wholesale kitchen markets can be shifted outside the city. “The mayors and councilors will decide how many markets are needed in an area instead of establishing wholesale and retail kitchen markets everywhere. If new markets are needed it will be done identifying the suitable spots,” the minister  said. Also read: Re-excavated canals: LGRD Minister predicts less waterlogging in Dhaka “It’s not logical to establish a three-storied building for kitchen market but at Gabtoli it is being made to sell other products like electronics goods in the upper floors. Our main aim is to build a planned and beautiful Dhaka,”he added.