39,000 retired government officials to join 'Clean Dhaka, Green Dhaka' programme

The government is planning to involve 39,000 retired government officials in the 'Clean Dhaka, Green Dhaka' programme. State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shah Alam disclosed the plan on Saturday (14 November).

He told reporters after a meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Tejgaon to review progress of the Dhaka metropolitan cleanliness programme. Announcing the prime minister's decision, he said steps are being taken to give them responsibilities in this programme on the basis of their experience.

Mir Shah Alam said around 39,000 retired officers and employees live in Dhaka city. They are experienced citizens of the state. The prime minister wants to use their experience to make the cleanliness programme more effective.

He said public awareness will be created through neighbourhood committees on dengue prevention, clearing garbage, keeping footpaths free of encroachment, improving the drainage system, and collecting waste from homes and delivering it to designated places. The programme will be implemented quickly.

The state minister said separate committees have been formed to supervise the cleanliness programme centred on 20 regional offices of Dhaka North and South city corporations. Led by directors of the Prime Minister's Office, the committees include representatives of the city corporations, the Public Works Department, RAJUK, police, education, health and WASA.

The committees formally began work on 27 October. Mir Shah Alam said the prime minister expressed satisfaction after reviewing their progress up to 14 November.

He said that during this period the committees inspected 248 educational institutions, 139 hospitals and clinics, 112 government residential quarters, 152 markets and shopping complexes, and 128 roads, parks, footpaths and public places. They also inspected 136 establishments at various places including bus terminals, railway stations and slums.

During the inspections, instructions were given to raise cleanliness awareness among students at educational institutions and to play a role in tree planting. The waste management situation at hospitals, clinics, government residential areas and other places was also reviewed.

The state minister said Dhaka city has a shortage of waste transfer stations, or STS. For this reason the prime minister has instructed that new STS be established. Instructions have also been given to build environment-friendly STS and to examine whether underground STS can be built.

On medical waste management, he said there are limitations in collecting and managing medical waste from public and private hospitals and clinics in Dhaka. Although the South City Corporation has a waste management facility at Matuail, the prime minister has instructed that a new management centre be opened at Aminbazar for the North City Corporation.

Mir Shah Alam also said the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) separates and disinfects medical waste using modern methods. A decision has been taken to inspect their system and consider whether the same system can be made mandatory at public and private hospitals and clinics.

On ensuring cleanliness in government residential quarters, the state minister said residents concerned will first be made aware and warned. If anyone still fails to carry out their waste management responsibilities, cancellation of their housing allocation may be considered.

He also said approval has been given to recruit 2,000 cleaners for Dhaka South City Corporation and 1,500 for Dhaka North City Corporation to address the shortage of cleaning staff.

Mir Shah Alam said the prime minister has instructed that infrastructure construction, water supply and waste management be improved in the unions newly added to the Dhaka metropolitan area. Activities will be implemented more quickly to bring citizens of these areas under the same civic services as the rest of Dhaka.

He said the work of the committees formed to review progress of the cleanliness programme will continue. The prime minister will hold another meeting after one month to review the latest progress. The ministries, departments and city corporations concerned are working in a coordinated way to implement the programme.

Prime Minister's Press Secretary Saleh Shibli, Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon, Director General (Administration) of the Prime Minister's Office Abdul Wadud Chowdhury, Deputy Press Secretary Zahidul Islam Roni and other members of the press wing were present at the time.