Jannatul Fardous
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will host a cabinet meeting tomorrow, days after the country witnessed unprecedented violence centered on quota reform rallies.
Hasina, who is leading the cabinet for the fourth time in a row, will meet with her cabinet members during the curfew break.
“She never holds cabinet meetings in such a situation,” claimed a prominent official, who requested anonymity.
The cabinet meeting will be conducted in the Prime Minister’s Office tomorrow, about 28 days after the previous meeting on July 1.
According to sources, ministries and divisions are expected to provide a preliminary estimate of the damage caused by the violence to their subordinate offices and departments.
As per their statement, Hasina is anticipated to provide guidance for repairing and resuming operations at several locations, which she has already visited. These include two metro rail stations, Setu Bhaban, BRTA headquarters, and the toll plazas of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway.
The chairman of an agency under the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry informed that they will submit a report on the damages to the ministry, and the secretary is anticipated to present the findings to the cabinet.
“We hope the prime minister will give necessary directives in this regard and we will follow it,” he stated in response.
Each cabinet meeting normally consists of two sections. One is formal, in which secretaries and top officials from various ministries and divisions take part and typically make their ideas.
After the formal meeting, government officials leave the meeting room and the PM and ministers discuss the contemporary and important issues. Then the PM gives necessary instructions.
Sources said the cabinet division is expected to submit the second quarterly (April-June) report on the implementation of the decisions taken by the cabinet-meeting this year.
Secretaries of several ministries and divisions, who have no particular agenda for tomorrow’s meeting, were also invited to attend it given the current situation.
The country witnessed unprecedented violence over the last week centring the quota reform protests. The demonstration turned violent on July 15 when Chhatra League attacked the protesting students at various campuses.
Violence escalated in Dhaka and other parts of country, leaving at least 162 people were killed (according to The Daily Star’s count; the actual number may be higher) and several thousand injured in clashes between police, BGB, ruling party men and agitators.
The government has imposed a curfew and deployed army across the country from early July 20. The authority is gradually relaxing the curfew as the situation is improving.
The curfew break will be from 7:00am to 6:00pm tomorrow in Dhaka.
