Staff Reporter:
State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salauddin Tuku yesterday called for coordinated efforts by the administration, law enforcement agencies, elected representatives and civil society to strengthen law and order and meet public expectations from the democratic government.
“Coordinated initiatives are essential to improve the law and order situation, curb drug abuse and build a healthy society,” he said.
He was addressing a special meeting of the Dhaka District Law and Order Committee and an ex-change of views at the Dhaka Deputy Commissioner’s conference room.
Tuku, who is in charge of monitoring law and order and other development activities in Dhaka dis-trict, described drug abuse as one of the country’s major social challenges, warning that the spread of drugs is fuelling criminal activities.
He stressed that law enforcement agencies must take firm action against drug trafficking and abuse while society must simultaneously step up awareness campaigns and build a broader social movement against drugs.
The state minister also urged authorities and communities to take concerted measures to prevent the spread of juvenile gangs.
He said juvenile gangs had expanded during the previous fascist government and their negative impact was still visible in different sections of society.
“Families, educational institutions, local administrations and communities must work together to keep young people away from crime,” he said.
Addressing government officials, Tuku said serving the people and ensuring good governance were their foremost responsibilities.
He urged officials to discharge their duties with honesty, efficiency and dedication while upholding Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s “Bangladesh First” philosophy.
“Such an approach would further strengthen public confidence in the government,” he said.
The state minister also stressed that environmental protection must go hand in hand with devel-opment.
He called for effective measures to prevent river pollution, ensure proper industrial waste man-agement and maintain the environmental balance of urban areas.
“We must all act responsibly to build a safe, healthy and livable Bangladesh for future genera-tions,” he said.
Dhaka Deputy Commissioner Farida Khanom chaired the meeting.
The meeting was attended by the additional superintendent of police of Dhaka district, additional deputy commissioners, representatives of various law enforcement agencies, officials of the Local Government Division, elected representatives and members of the district law and order commit-tee.
