Barrister Andaleeve Rahman Partho, MP, on Thursday claimed that the country's overall law and order situation is now significantly better than it was over the past 17 years, saying incidents such as enforced disappearances, political killings and large-scale financial crimes have declined.
"There are no reports of enforced disappearances, murders or bank robberies in newspapers as there used to be," he told reporters after visiting erosion-hit areas in Ilisha and Rajapur under Bhola Sadar.
Partho said there had been no allegations of enforced disappearances, political killings, politically motivated harassment, cases against opposition parties or state-sponsored corruption over the past four and a half months.
Expressing hope that such incidents would not recur, he said the government was taking strict action against anyone found guilty of misconduct or irregularities.
Referring to recent incidents of political violence, Partho said he had received reports of attacks on leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP). He attributed such incidents to Bangladesh's long-standing culture of political confrontation and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from making provocative or offensive remarks.
Highlighting Bhola's industrial potential, Partho said the availability of natural gas alone was insufficient to attract industries, stressing the need for improved infrastructure, better law and order and an investment-friendly environment.
"The government's goal is to develop Bhola as an industrial hub, and all relevant agencies will work in coordination to achieve that objective," he said.
Partho said the government had taken an in-principle decision to construct the Bhola-Barishal Bridge and that approval of the project's Development Project Proposal (DPP) was now underway.
He said the bridge would be implemented under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model following discussions with prospective investors. The government is also moving ahead with plans to establish a medical college in Bhola, he added.
Describing river erosion in Shibpur, Ilisha and Rajapur as alarming, Partho said discussions would be held with engineers and the relevant authorities to ensure prompt and effective protective measures.
He noted that a World Bank-funded project to tackle river erosion was already under implementation, but stressed that the work needed to be accelerated. Permanent solutions, he said, would be adopted based on the river's characteristics and technical assessments.
Earlier, Partho visited Bhola Sadar Hospital, where he said he would raise the shortages of physicians, sanitation workers, other staff and essential medicines with the Ministry of Health to ensure swift action.
Bhola Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sajal Kumar Das, Civil Surgeon Dr Monirul Islam, local government officials, and leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) were present during the visit.