100-day action plan to be set focusing on priority programmes

Newly-appointed Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury on Sunday said a 100-day action plan would be introduced by giving priority to the important programmes under the ministry.

"The government will prepare and execute 100 days' action plan through reviewing various priority programes of the ministry", he said.

The minister made this comment while exchanging views with the senior ministry officials, different departments or agency chiefs at his ministry's conference room here on the first day of his office as a newly-appointed minister of the ruling Awami League government.

"I will try to take the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry to the number 'one' position in terms of performance", he told the officials.

Necessary steps will be taken to resolve the problems of air pollution, sound pollution, water pollution, plastic-polythene degradation and hill cutting through consulting with respective stakeholders, said the minister.

The electoral manifestoes of the ruling Awami League and Mujib Climate prosperity plan will be implemented on priority basis.

Chowdhury, however, said "transparency, accountability will be ensured in the ministry works.

"Legal action will be taken for sustainable development and preventing forest encroachment", he added.

Even overall assistance would be provided to the media, he said, adding that problems would be resolved through making coordination with the mass media and other ministries.

Chaired by Secretary of the Ministry Dr Farhina Ahmed, the meeting also was attended, among others, by Additional secretaries Iqbal Abdullah Harun, Sanjay Kumar Bhowmik, Dr Fahmida Khanam, Director General of the Department of Environment Dr Abdul Hamid and Chief Conservator of Forests Mohammad Amir Hossain Chowdhury.