Govt employees return to Secretariat in good spirits after Eid holidays

The Bangladesh Secretariat, the nerve centre of the government administration, has reopened after a 10-day break for Eid-ul-Azha.

Employees and workers began filing into the Secretariat on Sunday morning. Colleagues embraced and exchanged greetings after the extended holidays.

Though the offices had been roiled by protests ahead of the break, a more joyous atmosphere prevailed as they reopened.

Mujahidul Islam Selim, a protest leader, said: “There are no [protest] programmes today. Today, we only have embraces.”

“We will announce tomorrow’s programme after discussing it with everyone.”

Government workers received a 10-day public holiday for Eid-ul-Azha from Jun 5 to Jun 14 this year.

Eid day fell on Jun 7 in Bangladesh. Before the break, the government had announced that Jun 5, Jun 6, and Jun 8-10 would be closed. The Advisory Council also added to the days off by declaring Jun 11 and Jun 12 as public holidays. Jun 13 and Jun 14 fell on the weekend.

Home Affairs Advisor Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Advisor Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, Fisheries and Livestock Advisor Farida Akhter, and Environment and Water Resources Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan came to their offices in the morning.

The advisors exchanged greetings with employees from their agencies. They then took part in a meeting of the core committee on law enforcement affairs.