Garment Protests, LPG Prices and Rooppur: Zahed’s Briefing at a Glance

In a Nutshell:

• Garment workers’ protests: Adviser Zahed asked workers to end road blockades after a minimum wage board was formed on November 1. He said the wage review was brought forward because of rising living costs. He also alleged that outsiders were using workers’ concerns to continue blockades and vandalism, and said police were told to distinguish workers from people breaking the law.
• LPG prices and subsidies: Zahed recognised that higher cylinder prices are adding pressure to household budgets. He said funding large subsidies through borrowing or creating money could drive inflation, and pointed to domestic renewable energy as a longer-term solution.
• Rooftop solar: Zahed said consumers can sell extra rooftop solar power to the grid. He described solar as a way to reduce reliance on costly fuels and said the government was holding seminars to gather ideas for long-term energy plans.
• Nuclear power: Unit 1 entered “Power Startup Stage-C” on October 29 under international safety rules. Zahed said this was a step towards supplying electricity to the grid, not the start of commercial power generation.
• Metro rail and railway coaches: Contracts have been signed for four construction packages for MRT Lines 1 and 5. Zahed said 18 of the 200 planned broad-gauge passenger coaches had arrived, with the rest expected later.
• Sheikh Hasina’s return: Zahed said the government wants Hasina to face court proceedings. If she returns voluntarily to surrender, the government would arrange the required travel documents. He also referred to efforts to secure her extradition from India.
• Police conduct and journalist safety: Zahed said excessive force against workers and stopping journalists from reporting were unacceptable. He said misconduct by individual officers would be addressed and police crowd-control practices were being reformed.
• IGP controversy: Zahed rejected headlines suggesting action against the Inspector General of Police, saying his remarks had been misunderstood and later clarified.
• Newspaper-tearing incident: Zahed said the official involved was appointed to an executive role, not as a Cabinet adviser. He referred to the official’s public explanation but announced no formal government response or disciplinary action.
• Consumer-rights enforcement: The Directorate of National Consumers’ Right Protection carried out 993 market checks from October 1 to 31 and imposed Tk1,77,28,500 in fines, Zahed said.
• Ethnic minority survey: The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics completed a nationwide survey of ethnic minority communities from October 1 to 25, using computer-assisted interviews. Zahed said the findings would help guide inclusive development plans.
• Others: Zahed also spoke about fish-fry releases, seizures of illegal monofilament nets, and joint operations to recover firearms and narcotics. He urged the public not to spread unverified claims about an Air Force officer’s death, saying the case would be investigated. He also said no official announcement had been made regarding the high-level state visits journalists had raised.