Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said her government plans to provide a better life for stranded Biharis in the country on humanitarian grounds although they had opted for Pakistani citizenship after Bangladesh's independence.
“We want to see a human being as a human being. Maybe they did not want to live here, but where will they go? Their next generations took birth in this country. We have to do something for them,” she said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said this while addressing an inauguration program of road infrastructure and drainage system construction and development (phase-1) of the newly created 18 wards of Dhaka North City Corporation.
The program was held at Kanchkura High School under Dhaka North City Corporation while she joined it from her official residence Ganabhaban.
Talking about stranded Biharis the prime minister said that not only in Dhaka, but Biharis are also living in various areas of the country.
“They wanted to go to Pakistan and take Pakistani citizenship after the independence. But Pakistan never accepted them,” she recalled.
In this connection, she said that many organizations collected a huge amount of money for them. But their fate did not change at all.
“They are now living in Bangladesh with their children and grandchildren. They are living an inhumane life in the small spaces in Geneva Camps,” she said.
The prime minister also mentioned that Biharis are very hardworking and skilled in many crafts.
“For that, I want to arrange good accommodation for them and engage them in jobs in which they have gained skills,” she said.
She said that this can not be done in Dhaka, for that a convenient good place is needed where there are industries or scope of jobs for them.
“We have to do that by creating employment opportunities for them. They could get a good life at least. That's what I want,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina also criticized the mentality of the people of the country who think that life is meaningless if anyone does not have land or living space.
“This kind of thinking must be erased from your heads,” she said.
“We are developing rail, road and air communications, people easily can go back to their home after completing their job. We are developing the communication system in a planned way,” she said.
Hasina said that with her personal initiative she found a piece of 10-bigha land in the capital’s Gulshan area, where she wants to build a playground. “Nothing else, only playground,” she said firmly.
The prime minister again requested the people of the country to maintain austerity in using electricity and water as the government is providing a huge amount of money as subsidies in these utilities.
“We are giving huge subsidies, these are all the money from the taxes of the people,” she said.
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Md Tajul Islam, Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Md Atiqul Islam, and Local Government Division Senior Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed also spoke at the program.