Nation prepares to celebrate Pahela Baishakh

The 1st of Baishakh or Pahela Baishakh will be celebrated across the country on Monday. The nation will welcome the Bangla New Year with gaiety. People from all walks of life will start to gather at Bottola in the 400-year-old Ramna Park or Ramna Botomul in the city since 4:00am on Monday to announce the advent of Baishakh on the Day 1 of the first month of Bengali calendar. They will sing in a chorus ‘Esho Esho, Esho He Baishakh, Esho Esho’, welcoming Baishakh. Beside, different organisations, including socio-cultural, institutions and business, have chalked out various programmes to celebrate Pahela Baishakh. The government has taken stringent security measures across the country so people can celebrate the Bengali New Year’s Day peacefully. In capital, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) will set up separate control rooms in Ramna Park. Besides, Rab’s helicopter will also remain standby for emergency rescue operation if necessary. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting on security measures on Pahela Baisakh at the conference room of Police Headquarters with Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hasan Mahmud Khandker in the chair. Special security measures will also be taken at prominent shopping malls, markets, business establishments for traditional ‘Halkhata’ on Pahela Baishakh. Special control rooms will be set up at Police headquarters, all metropolitan police, Ranges, and district police super’s offices to coordinate the security arrangements. Rab will set up 32 check-posts and four rooftop observation posts at Ramna Batamul in Dhaka city on the day to ensure foolproof security. Rab sources said around 8,000 Rab members will be deployed across the country to ensure peaceful celebration of Pahela Baishakh, according to a news agency.