Play store
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said no formal decision has been taken to launch a joint security operation across the country.
He said coordinated operations involving the police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), SRB and Ansar are a regular process and are being conducted continuously to curb terrorism, extortion and drug-related activities. Such operations will be strengthened further, he added.
The minister made the remarks at a press briefing in Tejgaon, Dhaka, on Thursday after unveiling the foundation plaque for the construction of a new headquarters of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP).
Ahmed said the long-standing demand for a well-planned and suitable permanent headquarters for Ansar and VDP was now being fulfilled.
The Public Works Ministry has allocated 3.428 acres, or about 11 bighas, of land for the new headquarters, he said. The facility will be developed to address the space constraints and transport limitations of the existing headquarters in Khilgaon.
According to the minister, Bangladesh currently has around 20,000 battalion Ansar members and 60,000 embodied Ansar members. In addition, about six million trained personnel work under 35,000 VDP team leaders, making the force the country’s largest in terms of combined regular and irregular manpower, he said.
Additional facilities are also being developed in Ashulia and Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka to address accommodation problems faced by Ansar members assigned to central duties, Ahmed added.
Praising the Ansar force’s role during the July mass uprising and various national crises and law-and-order situations, the minister said the government was committed to addressing its financial and other demands in phases.
Regarding members of law enforcement agencies, Ahmed said disciplinary and legal action was being taken when evidence of negligence of duty or involvement in criminal activities was found.
“December is our month of victory. No evil force will be able to create any kind of instability in the country during this month,” he said.
On traffic management in Dhaka, the minister said automation and artificial intelligence (AI) technology had been introduced to improve traffic management. The technology is being used to process cases automatically and help restore discipline on the roads.
He also said instructions had been given to avoid digging up entire roads at once for construction or utility work. Instead, work should be carried out in sections and the roads rebuilt quickly to reduce traffic congestion.
Senior Home Secretary Manzur Morshed Chowdhury and Ansar and VDP Director General Major General Abdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmud PSC, among others, were present at the briefing.