– Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said the government is considering the resumption of public transport services ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr taking into account the public interests.
“The government is considering the resumption of public transport services ahead of the Eid after the end of the ongoing lockdown (restrictions) in the public interest,” he told a regular press conference at his official residence here.
Quader urged the transport owners and workers to be patient and not to wage protests over the issue.
Taking into account the interests of the working class people who work at shops, markets and shopping malls, the lockdown (restrictions) has already been relaxed considering the Eid and Ramadan, he added.
The minister said the International Labour Day or May Day is being observed across the world today.
The victory day of workers that was achieved through struggle, solidarity, and determination and shedding of blood is the May Day, he said.
Quader said Bangladesh got the membership of International Labour Organization (ILO) on June 22, 1972 under the initiative of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
On the same day, Bangladesh ratified 29 ILO Conventions which was a rare incident, he added.
He said Bangabandhu’s government announced the country’s first Labour Policy on September 27 with a view to building a repression-free society where development of owners-workers, building peace in industries, increasing productivity, protection of working class people and their welfare would get priority.
Following the footprints of Father of the Nation, his daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is working relentlessly to protect the rights of the country’s repressed, exploited, downtrodden and working class people, he said.
Terming Sheikh Hasina’s government a worker-friendly one, the minister said the government has banned child labour and started implementing Labour Act, taken measures for increasing salarywages of garment workers and others.
The minister urged the concerned authorities to pay the wages to workers working at different factories and industries before Eid-ul-Fitr.
The AL general secretary said the people do not belief in and respond to BNP’s propaganda over coronavirus.
The people have firm confidence and trust in Sheikh Hasina’s humanitarian leadership.
The government is also making all-out strides to contain the spread of coronavirus and its treatment because of its firm commitment to the people, he said.
Quader said BNP talks about irregularities but whenever the government takes actions against irregularities and terrorism BNP claims that the government is suppressing the opposition party.
He said AL took the charge of running the government as a sacred service.
Mentioning that Awami League’s instinctive tradition is to stand by people in disaster and crisis, he said the devastating cyclone on November 12 in 1970 claimed numerous lives and caused a huge loss of properties.
“At that time, after postponing election activities, Bangabandhu said election is not the major thing, now standing beside disaster-hit people is politics. So, he had rushed to affected people,” he said.
He said recently 201 fake IDs (accounts) were created using his name in different social media while different comments and photos were posted from the IDs purposefully which is illegal.
The minister said actually the ID which he uses is a verified one and urged all not to be confused over the comments and photos uploaded from fake IDs.