The workers were constructing a toilet at a school next to the temple in Faridpur’s Madhukhali Upazila
Hasina joins as Bangladesh celebrates developing nation status
Public servants have joined a gathering at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka in festive parades to celebrate Bangladesh’s achievement of the eligibility to graduate from a least developed or LDC nation to a developing one.
Published : 22 March 2018, 01:56 PM
Updated : 22 March 2018, 07:52 PM
The staff of 57 ministries and departments wearing colourful dresses and carrying banners and festoons started to gather for the processions at nine points at 3pm on Thursday.
A traffic chaos hit the city due to the scarcity of public transport and police restrictions on motor vehicles in the areas around the stadium.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined the stadium function, which includes a cultural programme, a laser show and fireworks.
Her sister Sheikh Rehana and Rehana’s son Radwan Mujib Siddiq were also present.
She kicked off the seven-day celebrations at a meeting at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in the morning.
The Secretariat and other government offices were almost empty like holidays as the officials were getting ready for the celebrations.
Some private and educational institutions also took part in the revelries.
The United Nations handed the letter to Bangladesh, saying the country has fulfilled the eligibility requirements to graduate from LDC and can seek official approval for the advance on Mar 17.
This begins the graduation process for Bangladesh, which could receive official Developing Country status by 2024.
The celebrations at the stadium started with the national anthem followed by a documentary on Bangladesh’s socio-economic development. The cultural programme started after the laser light display coupled with fireworks.
Child artists of the Shishu Academy made a presentation on the historic Mar 7 speech by Bangabandhu. Child artists from the Shilpakala Academy, Nandankala Kendro, Dhriti Nartanalaya and BAFA also performed at the event.
Artists from Narail showed their stick skills while Shaipakala Academy exhibited Bangladesh’s cultural traditions in an acrobatic show.
Performers from small ethnic groups Chakma, Marma, Murong, Tonchongya, Hajong, Rakhine and Orang staged dance sequences.
Popular singers Runa Laila, Momotaz Begom and Mahfuz Anam James, among others, performed at the function.
Commuters rush to get on a bus
People wait to catch transports back home
Commuters were caught up for hours in traffic congestions in the areas around the stadium and on the streets the public servants took to get to the venue while many other streets were almost empty throughout the day.
bdnews24.com correspondents said there were fewer vehicles in Rampura, Mouchak, Malibagh, Moghbazar, Kakrail and Tejgaon areas.
Many commuters started for their destinations on foot as hundreds were waiting for transport at the bus-stands.
Many others were seen struggling to get on buses when any arrived.
“There are fewer vehicles, so there is no jam on the street,” traffic policeman Jahirul Islam told bdnews24.com at Nilkhet in the afternoon.
Asked why there were fewer buses, a driver told bdnews24.com, “The vehicles are stuck in traffic congestions.”
MN Alam, a manager of United Paribahan, said all of their 15 buses on the Mirpur-Sadarghat route were on the streets, but held up in snarls.
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