CHITTAGONG, Feb 26: Chittagong City Corporation mayor AJM Nasir Uddin has said holding book fair is not a mandatory task of a city corporation but the CCC is holding the 11-day book fair as part of its institutional responsibility.
The CCC is performing a variety of socio-cultural, educational and health -related activities apart from its ascined duties and responsibilities for the welfare of the city dwellers alongside its regular functions.
Even then some quarters look at these activities from negative point of view while they should appreciate the works undertaken by the CCC towards achieving the goal of turning the port city into a green and clean one.
The city father made the observation in reply to a comment of Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain who criticided him (the mayor) at a function in the city on Friday last. The minister said, "Wherever we take a look, we see the city roads and lanes dirty; but the mayor is obstructing development works of other agencies under the Public Works Department."
Fifty-four ward councillors of the Chittagong City Corporation trashed the minister's statement saying that the city roads and lanes are very much neat and clean than anytime in the past and what the minister said is 'untrue'.
Mayor Nasir Uddin was speaking as the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the 11-day Ekushey February and International Mother Language Day programme at the Muslim Institute compound in the city on Sunday night.
The function was chaired by ward councillor and convener of CCC International Mother Language Day programme Nazmul Haque Duke.
It was also addressed by Chief Education Officer and member secretary of the committee Magistrate Nazia Shirin.
At the function, 12 personalities received the Ekushey Sammanana Padak, including three for literary works.
Those who received the Ekushey Sammanana Padak are Krishna Gopal Sen for his role in the Language Movement, Nurul Islam BSc in social services, Principal Shamsuddin Md Ishaque (posthumous) in education, Alhaj Yusuf Gani Chowdhury (posthumous) in sports, Sourindra Lal Dasgupta (posthumous) in music, Nur Md Rafique (posthumous) in Independence Movement and Liberation War, freedom fighter Pankaj Kumar Dastider in journalism, Kalpataru Bhattacharjee in folk song and Md Shamsul Haque in research works.
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