Home Ministry prepared to face polls-time challenges: Adviser

Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Saturday said the Home Ministry is fully prepared to ensure law and order during the upcoming national election, regardless of when it is held.

“Minor incidents may occur during elections. But such events shouldn’t be interpreted as a lack of a level playing field,” he told reporters after visiting the Rapid Action Battalion-1 (RAB-1) Headquarters in Uttara, Dhaka.

He said the overall law and order situation in the country has improved significantly. “This Eid-ul-Azha passed peacefully, except for some isolated cases of theft and snatching,” the adviser added.

Addressing the perennial issue of traffic congestion, especially during Eid, he pointed out the infrastructural gap. “Ideally, a country should have 20 percent road coverage, while we have only 7 percent. At the same time, the number of vehicles is increasing daily, which makes traffic management very difficult,” he said.

Earlier in the day, during a visit to the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) Headquarters in Uttara, the adviser also addressed the issue of equipping police forces.

“Different units of the police have different operational needs. The Armed Police require different types of weapons than the River Police or Industrial Police. Arms will be provided based on specific requirements,” he said.

However, he clarified that the government has no plans to supply heavy arms to regular police forces.