In a unique webinar, city mayors of Dhaka and outside came together on Saturday night with the LGRD minister and shared their thoughts on the coronavirus pandemic and interacted with the public virtually.
It was the seventh episode of the ruling Awami League's series of webinar ‘Beyond the Pandemic’ broadcast live on its official facebook page.
This episode styled “Public Health and Local Government” discussed the steps the public representatives had taken to create health and hygiene awareness among the people, apart from their regular activities such as eliminating water logging and mosquito control during this pandemic.
LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam, Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam, Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapash, Rajshahi City Corporation Mayor Khairuzzaman Liton, Narayanganj City Corporation Mayor Dr Selina Hayat Ivy and Mymensingh City Corporation Mayor Ikramul Haq Titu took part at the webinar.
Prime Minister’s special assistant Barrister Shah Ali Farhad moderated the session.
The LGRD minister said the representatives of the local government are at the forefront from the beginning.
He said local government can play the most important role in bringing about social change and fulfilling people's aspirations.
“If we can empower the public representatives to fulfill their responsibilities, then it is not impossible to make real progress in Bangladesh,” he said, giving examples of how local government representatives stood by the people in the villages and provided food aid to the helpless day and night.
Soon after taking the charge, Atiqul Islam said, he started raising awareness about dengue visiting homes and offices of his constituency.
During the coronavirus outbreak, he said he had taken steps to disinfect public transports and terminals. He also distributed 5,000 PPE among the cleaners and introduced health and life insurance for 3,000 workers.
“We will always try to fulfill our responsibilities,” he said, “But people must be aware of their responsibilities also”.
Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said they had distributed relief materials apart from making people aware of the disease by various means such as playing records of health messages.
“We have set up a 5-bed ICU bed with ventilators at the Mohanagar Hospital.”
“In order to reduce the dengue outbreak and destroy the mosquito breeding grounds, we are clearing all the waterlogged lakes and ponds as well as cultivating tilapia fish and ducks so that the dengue larva does not breed,” he said.
They also replied to the questions taken from the facebook comment section.