Staff Correspondent

An inter-ministerial meeting was held on Tuesday at the Cabinet Division conference room in the Bangladesh Secretariat to coordinate emergency response, scale up relief operations, and manage the ongoing flood situation triggered by torrential rains and upstream mountain runoff across various regions of the country.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Minister for Local Government, Rural Development (LGRD), and Co-operatives, presided over the session. Opening the meeting, the LGRD Minister urged all ministries, departments, and auxiliary agencies to work in absolute unison to tackle the crisis.

The LGRD Minister stated that in this challenging situation, there is no alternative to a well-coordinated effort to alleviate public suffering. He added that every ministry and department must perform its assigned duties diligently and ensure that emergency services and relief materials reach the affected populations swiftly, emphasizing that maximum priority should be given to rescue operations, relief distribution, healthcare, clean water supply, and the restoration of damaged infrastructure.

Speaking at the meeting, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed noted that under the direct guidance of the Prime Minister, the government is fully engaged in disaster response. He strongly stressed maintaining transparency and accountability in relief distribution, adding that aid must reach the genuinely affected individuals without any room for corruption.

Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu warned against any complacency or negligence in rescue and relief operations. He instructed district administrations and field-level officials to remain on high alert, ensuring that food, dry rations, pure drinking water, and other necessary emergency supplies are mobilized immediately.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury emphasized creating an accurate database of flood victims to streamline the rehabilitation drive and highlighted the critical need to keep supply chains functional and restore communication infrastructure at the earliest.

The high-level meeting resulted in several key decisions regarding post-flood rehabilitation and damage control. According to the resolutions, field officials will actively engage with affected farmers and ensure the prompt distribution of new crop seeds to offset agricultural losses.

Government Engineering Department (LGED) along with the Roads and Highways Department will take immediate measures to repair and restore damaged village roads, highways, and critical communication links as soon as floodwaters recede.