Irresponsible person mustn’t assume power
Criticising the then BNP government's "irresponsible management" of the devastating 1991 cyclone, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said people should be cautious so that no irresponsible person assumes power.
"I urge the countrymen to be cautious so that any person like her [Khaleda Zia], who showed irresponsibility by saying that the number of deaths was less than expected, cannot come to power," she said.
The PM was addressing a programme marking the inauguration of 50 Mujib Killas, 80 flood shelters and 25 district relief warehouses-slash-disaster information centres on the occasion of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2022.
The disaster management and relief ministry organised the event at the capital's Osmani Memorial Auditorium, with the premier joining it virtually from the Gono Bhaban.
Hasina said Bangladesh has established its position as a disaster resilient country on the global stage.
"The world believes that whatever disaster occurs, Bangladesh is capable of tackling it. We have to continue our efforts."
The premier said Bangladesh witnessed a devastating cyclone in 1991 when the then BNP government was not aware of it and that's why 1.5 lakh people were killed.
Hasina, also the Awami League president, said the leaders and activists of her party stood by the cyclone-hit people and she herself visited different islands in Chattogram and helped the victims.
She said Bangladesh is a disaster-prone country due to its geographical location and the country is used to facing flood, cyclone, waterlogging and salinity.
Bangladesh would certainly advance towards prosperity fighting all natural and manmade disasters as the AL government was working to achieve the target, the premier added.
Hasina said her government has already started working on the implementation of the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan Decade-2030 following the footsteps of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
"This plan is not only climate centric, rather it's for transforming Bangladesh into a developed and prosperous country."
In this connection, the PM said Bangladesh has formulated a 100-year-long Delta Plan-2100 aimed at protecting the country from the adverse impact of climate change.
She said six hot spots have been identified across the country considering the level of disasters. Besides, National Disaster Management Plan 2021-25 has been adopted to reduce disaster risks, respond to disasters and post-disaster rehabilitation and development.
The premier said her government has been working to revive canals, and water bodies across the country alongside dredging rivers to increase their capacity of holding water.
Hasina briefly described her government's measures to tackle the adverse impact of climate change.
"We are very aware of climate change. It will not be wise to be dependent on others over the issue and we formed a trust fund with our own financing."
The PM asked all concerned to make sure that the country's environment is not hampered.
She said Bangladesh is among the countries worst affected by climate change though it has no contribution to the adverse impact of climate change.
Hasina said the developed countries who contributed to the adverse impact have made promises of providing enough monetary compensations, but the pledges are mostly unfulfilled.
The premier, however, said she sees hope due to the signing of the Paris Agreement.
State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Enamur Rahman and Secretary Md Kamrul Hasan also spoke at the function.
On behalf of the PM, the state minister handed over awards to 83 Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) volunteers for their contribution to disaster risk management.
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