Two-day weekend is announced for the academia as the government reschedules office hours for government and autonomous bodies and banks as part of the ongoing austerity measures amid a crunch.
The working hours of government and autonomous bodies will be from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm while banks will remain open from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, with effect from tomorrow (Wednesday).
The new office timing was approved at a meeting of the Cabinet on Monday, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who joined virtually from her Ganabhaban residence in the capital.
Ministers, state ministers and senior officials concerned attended the meeting at the conference room of the Cabinet Division at Bangladesh Secretariat.
However, Bangladesh Bank in a circular issued later on the day said that the transaction hours of banks will take place from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, starting from tomorrow (Wednesday).
Following the transaction hours, it said, all the officers and employees of the banks will have to complete relevant work and leave office by 5:00 pm.
But, the branches, sub-branches and booths of banks located at the sea, land and air ports (ports and customs areas) will have to keep open round the clock as instructed through a circular issued earlier.
The Cabinet meeting also decided that the schools and colleges will now enjoy two days of weekly holidays while the Ministry of Education will decide when it would come into effect.
After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said the government offices and autonomous bodies have also been asked to take measures for reducing electricity consumption by ensuring efficient use of air conditioners, fans etc.
The Cabinet has also instructed the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) to ensure uninterrupted power supply for irrigation from midnight to dawn (not the peak hours) during this Aman season.
"Earlier, the peak hours were until 11pm and now it stretches up to almost 12 am to 1:00 am."
Mr Islam said the meeting directed the power authorities to ensure electricity supply to important industrial organizations too.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education (MoE) in a circular issued on the day said the weekly holidays of schools and colleges on Fridays and Saturdays, and it will come into effect from next week.
It also requested the University Grants Commission to pass on the decision to the authorities of different universities for taking measures.
Moreover, the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) in a circular issued on the day also asked shops, shopping malls, markets, kitchen markets and business entities to close by 8:00 pm with effect from September 01 next.
The DSCC has also requested the hotels and restaurants to close by 10:00 pm while cinema halls be closed by 11:00 pm from the same day.
According to the circular, the corporation has taken the decision due to the price hike of petroleum products in the global market that has forced the government to go for rationing the power supply.
It further said that the corporation has issued the directives in line with the decision taken on June 16 last by the Prime Minister's Office.
Earlier, the government on August 05 last revised up the prices of fuel oils at the consumer level.
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