DHAKA, Oct 17, 2026 (BSS) – Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today paid surprise visits to 13 establishments including schools, hospitals, residential areas and public spaces in the capital to assess the cleanliness and overall managements of the institutions.

During his four and half hours long visits beginning from 9:10 am, he went to Kuwait Bangladesh Friendship Government Hospital in Uttara, Rajuk Uttara Model College, Mirpur Cantonment Public School and College, National Heart Foundation, Paikpara Staff Quarters, Government Bangla College, Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute and Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital in Agargaon.

The Prime Minister also visited his former educational institution Dhaka Residential Model College in the city’s Mohammadpur area.

Apart from these, he visited Dhanmondi Government Boys’ High School, Kalabagan Staff Quarters and Azimpur Government Officers and Employees’ Residential Quarters and the footpaths in Mirpur-10 that had been cleared of hawker encroachment.

During the visits, he talked to officials, students, patients, residents and pedestrians and people to assess the conditions at different establishments.

While visiting Kuwait Bangladesh Friendship Government Hospital, the Prime Minister expressed dissatisfaction with the hospital’s cleanliness and overall management and gave the authorities seven days to improve the situation.

He spoke to patients about their treatment and inspected different departments, including the intensive care unit (ICU) and operation theatres.

At Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, the Prime Minister found Associate Professor Rafiqul Islam smoking in his unhygienic room and instructed the hospital chairman to take action against him. The doctor was later temporarily suspended.

At Azimpur government residential quarters, the Prime Minister expressed strong displeasure over the unhygienic environment and gave the authorities two weeks to ensure visible improvements in cleanliness and make the residential area habitable.

Residents also raised complaints about the area’s unhygienic conditions and law and order situation. The Prime Minister listened to their concerns and asked the authorities concerned to take necessary measures to address the issues.

During his visit to the footpaths in Mirpur-10, Tarique Rahman asked pedestrians whether the removal of hawkers had made their movement easier and whether they were still facing difficulties.

He stressed the need to keep footpaths free from encroachment and ensure unobstructed movement for pedestrians.
The Prime Minister addressed students and members of the Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) and Scouts at Government Bangla College and urged them to take an active role in building a clean and healthy Bangladesh and planting more trees.

He emphasised that keeping homes, educational institutions and surrounding areas clean was essential to preventing dengue and protecting public health, calling for collective efforts to ensure a clean and liveable environment for future generations.

Throughout the visits, the Prime Minister stressed the need for responsible performance of duties by officials and effective measures to improve public services, cleanliness, healthcare and the overall management of public institutions.

State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan Milton and Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Abdus Salam accompanied the Prime Minister during his visits.

Efforts to build clean Bangladesh must start now: PM

Prime Minister Tareque Rahman. File Photo
DHAKA, Oct 17, 2026 (BSS) – Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today called upon the younger generation to take an active role in building a clean and healthy Bangladesh, stressing that efforts to ensure a better environment for future generations must begin now.

“The work of building a beautiful, clean and healthy Bangladesh for future generations must begin now, as you will lead the country in the future,” he told students.

The Prime Minister made the call while visiting Mirpur Bangla College in the capital and addressing members of the Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) and Scouts, said his Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu.

Tarique Rahman said Bangladesh is a densely populated country in terms of its size, particularly in Dhaka, where keeping the city clean is a major challenge. So, the task can be accomplished through collective efforts.

He urged the young people not to limit their involvement in cleanliness activities to organised campaigns but to take personal initiatives and encourage their friends, relatives and neighbours to keep their surrounding areas clean.

Emphasising the link between cleanliness and public health, the Prime Minister said an unhygienic environment increased the risk of diseases, while keeping homes and their surroundings clean helped people stay healthy.

He said preventing diseases should be a priority, as providing treatment to a large number of sick people would be difficult given the limited availability of doctors and medicines. “Keeping the environment clean is essential to keeping people healthy,” he said.

Highlighting the importance of cleanliness in preventing dengue, Tarique Rahman said many people were infected with the disease every year and many lost their lives.

Destroying mosquito breeding grounds and keeping homes and surrounding areas clean were among the most effective ways to prevent dengue, he added.

He said the government was placing special emphasis on cleanliness drives every Saturday until November as part of its dengue prevention efforts.

The Prime Minister urged people to keep the areas around their homes, educational institutions, workplaces and other establishments clean, particularly by ensuring that water did not accumulate anywhere.

He also called for an end to the indiscriminate disposal of waste on roads, in canals, rivers and other water bodies, saying such practices polluted the environment and created favourable conditions for mosquito breeding and the spread of diseases.

Addressing BNCC and Scouts members, he urged them to raise public awareness and encourage people to dispose of waste in designated places.

“If you see someone throwing rubbish on the road, try to explain the matter to them and, if necessary, help them dispose of it properly. Remember, you are working not just for yourselves but for the benefit of everyone,” he said.

Expressing concern over air pollution in Dhaka, the Prime Minister said the capital frequently ranked among the world’s most polluted cities, a situation he described as embarrassing. He stressed the need to protect the environment and plant more trees to improve air quality.

Recalling an earlier tree-planting initiative, Tarique Rahman said around 80,000 ‘Neem’ saplings had been planted across Dhaka in 2004-‘05 through an organisation established in his father’s name.

“Now you have to surpass me. You will plant even more trees. InshaAllah, you can do it,” he told the students.

The Prime Minister also recounted the history of ‘Neem’ trees on Saudi Arabia’s Arafat plain, saying it had once been almost devoid of trees.

He said Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman had sent ‘Neem’ saplings there following advice from Bangladeshi scientists, who selected the species for its suitability to the Saudi climate. The trees subsequently spread across the plain and became known as “Zia Trees”, he said.

Citing Japan as an example of cleanliness, Tarique Rahman said its streets had very little litter, attributing this not only to cleaning arrangements but also to people’s habit of not throwing rubbish indiscriminately.

He called on people to protect rivers, canals and other water bodies from pollution and stop throwing plastic bottles, polythene bags, food wrappers and other waste into the environment.

The Prime Minister expressed confidence that collective efforts by young people would help build a clean and beautiful Bangladesh. “The future belongs to you. You will lead this country,” he said.

State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam and Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan Milton, among others, were present on the occasion.

PM visits cleared footpaths in Mirpur, talks to pedestrians

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today visited footpaths cleared of encroachment in the capital’s Mirpur. Photo: PMO
DHAKA, Oct 17, 2026 (BSS) – Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today visited footpaths cleared of encroachment in the capital’s Mirpur area and spoke with pedestrians to assess how the eviction of street hawkers had improved their movements.

During the visit this morning, the Prime Minister saw himself the condition of the cleared footpaths and emphasised ensuring unobstructed movement for pedestrians, said PM’s Assistant Press Secretary KM Nazmul Haque.

Tarique Rahman asked pedestrians how much easier it had become for them to walk along the footpaths following the removal of hawkers and whether they were still facing any difficulties.

He also enquired about their experiences regarding footpaths and road management in the city.

The Prime Minister listened directly to people’s experiences and opinions, stressing the need to keep footpaths free from encroachment to ensure comfortable movement and reduce public sufferings.

He asked the authorities concerned to take necessary measures to keep the capital’s footpaths accessible to pedestrians, maintain discipline on roads and footpaths, and remove obstacles to public movement.
“Footpaths in the city are primarily meant for pedestrians. So, it is essential to keep them free from encroachment and ensure unobstructed movement for the public,” he said.

State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan Milton and Prime Minister’s Press Secretary AAM Saleh Shibly were present during the visit.