jnsdhbjefList of extortionists and terrorists being prepared, action soon: Home Minister

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said that legal action will be taken soon against government officials and employees for extortion, terrorist activities and arms possession. He gave this information after a meeting with Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) officials at around 1pm today (Wednesday).

Earlier, the Home Minister held a meeting with senior officials at the DMP headquarters on Wednesday morning. Inspector General of Police Ali Hossain Fakir and DMP Commissioner Md. Sarwar and other officials were present in the meeting.

At a press conference after the meeting, the Home Minister said, 'The main priority of the current government is to improve the law and order situation and ensure the security of the people. The role of the police is very important, and I think the police is ready to work as a friend of the people.'

The minister also said, 'In the past, there was a fascist regime in Bangladesh, which has discredited the police, but the police itself is not responsible for this. This situation needs to be changed, and the institution needs to conduct its activities institutionally, so that personal influence or an authoritarian system does not develop.'

He further said, 'We will soon prepare a list of extortionists, armed men, terrorists and notorious criminals in different parts of the country. Strict legal action will be taken against them.'

In response to journalists' questions, the Home Minister said, 'The current democratic government was formed through a fair, impartial, acceptable and globally recognized election. Therefore, the current situation should not be compared with the previous situation.'

The Minister said that from the first day of assuming office, he has given importance to establishing a chain of command in the ministry and has ensured that lower-ranking officials will not bypass their senior officials and directly communicate with the minister or high-ranking officials. However, higher-ranking officials can communicate with any level of official if necessary.

Regarding traffic congestion in Dhaka, he said that this is a big problem and a special cell has been formed for this. The DMP Commissioner has been instructed to coordinate with the Traffic Department and submit a report with recommendations within a week.

He further said, 'The number of battery-powered rickshaws has now increased uncontrollably and these vehicles are also plying on VIP and main roads, where non-motorized vehicles are prohibited. To solve this problem, we will control these vehicles on a trial basis on the VIP road from Uttara to Airport Road towards the Secretariat, and later measures will be taken on other roads as well.'

The minister also mentioned the unconscious behavior of citizens as the main reason for the traffic jam, he said, the unconscious behavior of citizens is also responsible behind the traffic jam. Many do not obey traffic signals, do not follow the rule of keeping the left lane empty. Therefore, emphasis is being placed on increasing public awareness and building a culture of obeying traffic laws. He expressed hope that the traffic jam problem can be solved to a large extent with everyone's cooperation.