Dhaka, Sep 21 (V7N) – Each Durga Puja pavilion across Bangladesh will be required to maintain seven security guards until law enforcement personnel are deployed, announced Home Affairs Advisor Lieutenant General (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury. Members of police, RAB, and Ansar will officially take charge of security at puja venues from Wednesday (September 24).

The advisor made the remarks on Sunday after a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Law and Order at the Secretariat.

He stated that security arrangements have been strengthened this year to ensure Durga Puja celebrations proceed without disruption. “There is no major risk anywhere. Sometimes incidents do occur in some places, but the government is fully alert to prevent them,” he said.

On broader law and order issues, Chowdhury highlighted cross-border drug trafficking, noting that narcotics enter from neighboring countries while rice and fertilizer are smuggled out of Bangladesh. He claimed the Arakan Army sustains itself on drug trade but emphasized that authorities are now seizing more consignments than before. “The government is determined to eradicate drugs,” he added.

Turning to agricultural concerns, the Home Affairs Advisor warned about the potato market. Farmers, he said, are not receiving fair prices. “If this continues, they may lose interest in cultivating potatoes next year, which could trigger a sharp rise in prices,” he cautioned.

END/SMA/AJ