DCs confce ends with numbers of directives by govt
27 January 2023
Staff Reporter :
The three-day Annual Conference of Deputy Commissioners (DCs Conference) concluded on Thursday with numbers of directives from President Md. Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddiqui and ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers, PM's advisors and secretaries of the administration.
The directives were given to the DCs as administrative head of the field level civil administration and supervising authority of the government's revenue collection, implementation of development projects and providing necessary services to the people who elect the government by exercising their voting rights.
The conference started on Tuesday with the inaugural session at PMO. The Prime Minister inaugurated the conference and held a separate session where the DCs discussed openly with the chief of government.
The session of President Md. Abdul Hamid was held at Bangabhaban while Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaud
hury talked to the DCs at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban and Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddiqui talked to them at the Supreme Court Bhaban.
Other sessions of the conference were held at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka. With the concluding session and dinner offered by the Cabinet Secretary Mahbub Hossain at Osmani Memorial Auditorium, the conference was ended.
In the third and last day of the conference, the issues of Land Ministry, Home Ministry, Law Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Public Administration Ministry, Cabinet Division, Religious Affairs Ministry, Information and Communication Technology Division, Health Ministry, Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry, Water Resources Ministry, Shipping Ministry, Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Defence Ministry, Armed Forces Division and Science and Technology Ministry were discussed in the meeting.
While talking with media after the meeting with the DCs, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told media that the DCs were asked to be ready for conducting a free and fair and acceptable general election.
"We told them that the country's people want a free and fair and acceptable general election. The world is also looking on the matter. Told hold a free and fair and acceptable general election, the DCs must have to play vital role. You have to be ready, so that the free and fair polls can be gifted," Kamal added.
He said, "Our security forces are now eligible for facing any challenge. They are now complete with their patriotism, experience and efficiency. They will also be able to face all kinds of challenges during the elections."
"We usually have nothing to do during the elections. The ministry will do only the routine works. The Election Commission will do the main work. The law enforcement agencies would be assigned under their management," Kamal claimed.
Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury told the media that the DCs were asked to ensure distribution of the money compensated to the victim families properly after necessary examination, so that no one can pocket additional money showing higher price of lands.
In the meeting with the Land Minister, the issues of land zoning and protection, providing e-mutation services properly, collection of land development taxes, preparation of a database of public properties including khashland and mortgaged properties were also discussed.
The DCs were also asked to follow the 'Sand Quarries and Land Management Rules' properly.
In the session with the DCs, Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud asked the DCs to immediately inform the government once rumours are spread through unregistered online portals, IPTVs and Youtube channels. Necessary immediate actions must be taken against those.
While talking to journalists after a meeting, the minister also asked the DCs to confront the rumours with facts so that people cannot be misguided.
"We have given approval to 12 IPTVs while the rest are unregistered. So far, we have brought over 170 online portals under registration. Another 170 newspaper portals have been registered," he said, adding that more 15 to 16 online portals of television stations have been given registration.
"The DCs have been asked to stay vigilant about the rumours spread using unregistered online portals and IPTVs. They have been asked to inform the government to take action immediately," he told reporters.
The minister, also joint secretary of the Awami League, acknowledged that tackling rumours spread by the unregistered IPTVs, online portals and some Youtube channels is a big challenge.
State Minister for Religious Affairs Faridul Haque Khan assured the DCs that no crisis of dollar would be happened this year for the pilgrims as the government has already completed its preparation.
He urged the DCs to take necessary steps, so that the intending pilgrims don't have face any trouble.
In the meeting, the DCs have requested the ministry to formulate a 'rules for recruitment of employees in the mosques' to avert unnecessary hassles.
While talking to media after the meeting with DCs, Law Minister Anisul Huq reiterated that data protection law will be enacted to protect data, not to control it.
"We will place the draft of the Data Protection Act in parliament. That does not mean that suggestions from the stakeholders will not be heard," he said, adding that the act is for protecting data and will be enacted as per this policy.
Regarding the Digital Security Act (DSA), he said, "We have taken measures to ensure that cases are registered after proper verification and avoid immediate arrest."
The law minister said they have also formed a committee after consulting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for best practices in this regard. "If necessary, we can certainly amend the Digital Security Act."
He also said the government has taken an initiative to raise the salary of government law officers (PPs and GPs) by dividing the districts into three categories-large, medium and small.
Highlighting the reasons for raising the salary of GPs-PPs, the minister said, 'We have planned to launch the Independent Prosecution Service. However, the entire PP Service will not be an Independent Prosecution Service."
In the session, Anisul highlighted the government's initiatives to ease the long-running backlog of cases. "I have talked about alternative dispute resolution and legal aid services."
Expatriate Welfare Minister Imran Ahmed asked the DCs to hold job fairs in their respective area, so that people can know about the overseas employment issue and be encouraged.
He also instructed them to complete inquiry of the identification of the deceased expatriates, so that their dead bodies could be brought back quickly.
During the meeting with State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, the DCs urged for start operation of Chilahati Land Port in Nilphamari as soon as possible. They have also suggested him to formulate a district level committee headed by the DCs for operating the river ports.
During the meeting with DCs, Health Minister Zahid Maleque asked to the DCs to boost up vigilance in the public hospitals, so that the presence of the doctors and nurses and health services can be ensured.
He also asked them take measures to prevent operation of illegal clinics and hospitals and sale of fake medicines in the medicine stores. "If necessary, legal actions must be taken against those," he asked.
