Ministers pack bags

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Today is the BNP-led four-party alliance government’s last working day as the Eid-ul-Fitr vacation begins tomorrow.

Most ministers attended their secretariat offices yesterday to bid farewell to the officials and employees of their ministries besides finishing pending work.

The ministries were also busy discussing politics, fate of the ongoing dialogue between the two major political parties and other issues.

There was confusion over the dates of Eid holidays as a rumour ran that the government may declare the vacation from today.

Many employees, however, were either absent or left offices after signing attendance registers as they were in a hurry to leave the capital for homes to spend the Eid with the near and dear ones.

Visitors thronged many ministries in a bid to make a last attempt to have files signed by the ministers concerned or release pending work.

Officials and employees of a number of ministries organised formal farewell meetings while the ministers concerned addressed the gatherings.

A number of ministers, including some senior ones, however, did not attend their secretariat offices.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia came to secretariat around 1:45pm. She delivered her last address to the secretaries at the Cabinet Secretariat and formally thanked them for extending cooperation to her government to complete its term.

The PM asked them to continue the welfare programmes started by her government and work sincerely so that no vacuum is created during the period of caretaker government. She also spoke of various development and achievements the country made in the last five years.

A total of 51 secretaries attended the programme and thanked the PM for her guidance during the last five years.

LGRD Minister and BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan came to his secretariat office around 11:30am to attend a prize-giving ceremony for the poura chairmen under a development project.

After the function, Bhuiyan spent 10 minutes in his chamber before leaving.

Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman, however, did not turn up at his secretariat office during office hour. He spent the day at the planning ministry office at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and signed pending files. He also held a meeting with the ministry’s high officials.

Saifur attended two farewell meetings yesterday–one in the morning at the planning ministry and another in the evening at secretariat.

Communication Minister Nazmul Huda and Minister for Food and Disaster Management Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf also did not come to their secretariat offices until 2:00pm.

An official of the ministry told The Daily Star that Huda was supposed to come to the secretariat office in the evening to finish some “urgent” business.

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Moudud Ahmed came to his secretariat office in the morning and attended a farewell meeting.

Formal farewell meetings were also organised at the ministries of home affairs, land, fisheries and livestock, forest and environment, jute and textile.

Minister for Science and Information Technology Dr Moyeen Khan, Minister for Housing and Works Mirza Abbas, and State Minister for Shipping Mohammad Quamrul Islam attended office and signed all pending files.

Quamrul rejected two files as those were not approved by the law ministry. Sources said he was busy preparing a proposal to place before the cabinet meting scheduled for 2:00pm today.

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