20-30% hospitals have no fire extinguisher: Health minister

Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque today told parliament that twenty to thirty per cent hospitals of the country do not have any fire extinguishing system.

In reply to a query from Workers’ Party MP Lutfun Nesa Khan (reserved seat-48), the minister, however, informed the House that the government has taken initiative to install fire extinguishing system in every hospital of the country.

“There is fire extinguishing system in 70-80 per cent hospitals in the country. The government has taken initiative to install fire extinguishing system in every hospital,” he told parliament in replying to the tabled question.

SOME HAJJ AGENCIES INVOLVE IN HARASSING HAJJ PILGRIMS

State Minister for Religious Affair Sheikh Md Abdullah told parliament that owners of some hajj and umrah agencies are directly or indirectly involved in harassing and deceiving hajj pilgrims every year.

The government takes actions against the agencies according to the hajj and umrah policy, he said replying to a tabled question from Awami League MP Nur Mohammad (Kishoreganj-2).

The actions include cancellation of license of the hajj and umrah agencies, confiscating deposited money of the agencies, suspension of licenses and awarding the financial penalty.

The junior minister also said the government has taken the move to enact hajj and umrah law keeping tougher provisions of punishment to save intended hajis from the middlemen and unscrupulous hajj agencies.

In reply to another query, the state minister hoped that there would be no ‘flight collapse’ of Biman Bangladesh Airlines in carrying hajj pilgrims this year.

“Biman Bangladesh Airlines has already sold all tickets of its hajj flights. We hope that there would be no flight collapse this year,” he said.

As per the National Hajj and Umrah Policy-2019, he said, flight tickets are being directly issued to the names of hajj pilgrims.