Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is set to visit the Sharadiya Durga Puja pandal at the historic JM Sen Hall in Chattogram city on Tuesday (20 October), as preparations are underway for his visit, Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) Mayor Shahadat Hossain has said.
The mayor reviewed the overall preparations during a visit to the JM Sen Hall pandal today (17 October). He later distributed Puja gifts to 500 Hindu women with presence of Chattogram-9 MP Mohammad Abu Sufian.
Speaking after the inspection, Shahadat Hossain said the prime minister had pledged to build a Bangladesh where people of all religions, races and communities could live with equal dignity and rights.
He said Tarique Rahman's visit to Chattogram reflected the goal of building a discrimination-free Bangladesh based on harmony, coexistence and mutual respect under the concept of a "Rainbow Nation", which embraces unity in diversity.
"Chattogram is a city of communal harmony. We must ensure that people of all religions can celebrate their religious festivals safely and without hindrance. Religious identity belongs to individuals, but the city belongs to everyone," the mayor said.
He called for collective efforts to ensure the city's development, security and public welfare.
Shahadat Hossain said building a "Rainbow City" meant ensuring that everyone could move around safely, celebrate religious festivals and live in a healthy environment. Maintaining cleanliness, protecting the environment, safeguarding public health and properly maintaining civic infrastructure were crucial to achieving that goal, he added.
The mayor said relevant departments were working together to ensure security, order and cleanliness at the city's Puja pandals so that celebrations could take place without disruption.
Regional executive officers and magistrates of the CCC were working in the field to maintain order and security at pandals in areas including Anderkilla and Dewan Bazar, he said. The corporation's cleaning department was also working to ensure the smooth movement of visitors.
Regarding financial assistance for the celebrations, the mayor said Tk14.70 lakh had been allocated to 294 Puja pandals under 16 police stations in Chattogram metropolitan area.
In addition, Tk5 lakh was provided to the JM Sen Hall pandal and Tk15 lakh to the Kusumkumari Puja pandal in Jamalkhan. The corporation also allocated Tk50,000 each to four service colonies inhabited by members of the Harijan community, amounting to Tk2 lakh.
The total financial assistance stands at Tk36.70 lakh, he said.
MP Mohammad Abu Sufian said the prime minister's visit was significant as part of his goal to build the country with the participation of people from all walks of life. Relevant stakeholders were working together to ensure the visit's success, he added.
CCC Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Ashraful Amin, Chief Engineer Anisur Rahman, Metropolitan Puja Udjapan Parishad President Professor Arpan Kanti Banerjee, General Secretary Advocate Nikhil Kumar Nath, and representatives of different levels of local government, political leaders and Puja committees were also present.