DHAKA, July 29, (v7n)– State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam today said building a clean and green Dhaka is one of the current government's top priorities, emphasising that visible field-level progress is now the most important task.

The state minister made the remarks while addressing a meeting at the conference room of the Local Government Division to review the overall progress of tree plantation, beautification, waste removal, and replacement of waste bins under Dhaka North and South City Corporations, in line with the Prime Minister's directives.

At the beginning of the meeting, a presentation highlighted the overall progress of tree plantation and beautification activities undertaken by the two city corporations, ongoing programmes, and future action plans. The meeting was informed that various NGOs and voluntary organisations have been engaged in a coordinated manner in implementing urban cleanliness and greening activities.

Speaking as chief guest, the state minister said all initiatives should be implemented in a planned way so that citizens can experience their benefits in practical terms. Directing authorities to further accelerate ongoing activities, he said the effectiveness of pilot projects should be assessed before undertaking new large-scale projects, with successful initiatives to be implemented gradually on a broader scale.

The state minister instructed authorities to prepare an updated list of locations where tree plantation, beautification, and cleanliness activities are being carried out, and to maintain specific records on newly-planted trees, completed beautification works, and waste bin installations.

Emphasising the importance of regular supervision and effective field-level monitoring, he said continuity must be maintained in efforts to build a clean city. He noted that the Prime Minister closely supervises these activities, so every initiative must be realistic, effective, and visible. He called upon all concerned to work together to implement the government's "Clean and Green City" initiative.

The meeting was attended by Dhaka-7 lawmaker Hamidur Rahman; DSCC Administrator Bir Muktijoddha Md. Abdus Salam; Chief Executive Officer Md. Zahirul Islam; Chief Waste Management Officer Commodore Mohammad Humayun Kabir; Chief Health Officer Dr. Jahane Ferdous Binte Rahman; Chief Engineer Nur Azizur Rahman; DNCC Chief Waste Management Officer Air Commodore Md. Mahabubur Rahman Talukder; Chief Health Officer Brigadier General Imrul Kayes Chowdhury; Joint Secretary of the Urban Development Wing Parimal Sarkar, and other senior officials of the ministry.

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