PM Hasina critical of pasteurised milk test by DU professor

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday urged the countrymen not to pay heed to the rumours and hand over the rumour-mongers to the police.

“Please don’t pay heed to the rumours and take law in own hands, and instead hand over those spreading rumours to the police,” she said while addressing a meeting of Awami League (AL) leaders and workers through a teleconference from London this morning.

Sheikh Hasina, now in London on an official visit, also called upon the countrymen to keep their houses, offices and adjoining area neat and clean to prevent mosquito menace.

The meeting, presided over by AL general secretary Obaidul Quader, was held at the Awami League central office at Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital.

Besides the central leaders, leaders of AL’s north and south city units and its associate bodies and two mayors joined the meeting.

The prime minister said a vested quarter is beating people to death by spreading rumours.

“A mother was beaten to death through spreading rumours and what is the situation of her child today?” she said.

“So, it’s my call to all not to take law in your own hands. If you think anyone guilty, don’t beat him/her to death, rather hand over him/her to the police,” she added.

Sheikh Hasina, also the AL president, said after investigations proper actions will be taken against those found guilty.

The prime minister said beating innocent people to death after hearing the rumours is an act of sin. “It’s similar to killing,” she said.

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In this connection, she requested the newspapers and electronic media not to mislead the people by disseminating false news.

“There will be a request of mine to the newspapers and electronic media not to misguide the people by disseminating news not knowing the real information,” she said.

While talking about spread of dengue, the prime minister said the menace broke out recently and it first spread in the urban areas, especially in Dhaka city. “It’s now spreading to other areas.”

Sheikh Hasina said the Eid-ul-Azha is knocking at the door and the people will go to their homes to celebrate the festival.

“Others will be infected with dengue by a mosquito that bit a dengue patient. So I would like to appeal to all to keep neat and clean their respective houses, offices, wardrobes so that the mosquitoes cannot lay eggs there,” she said.

She also said the students, teachers and professionals should give attention to cleanliness.

The prime minister urged all to remain alert so that water cannot be logged as mosquitoes breed in this water. She also called upon the people to sleep by hanging mosquito nets.

Sheikh Hasina said the Awami League has prepared a leaflet containing the steps to be taken to check mosquito menace.

In this connection, she asked her party leaders and workers to distribute the leaflets at all places.

“The government is spearheading a campaign to make the people aware and has already taken whatever steps necessary … I talked to the two mayors of Dhaka in this regard,” she said.

The prime minister said the physicians concerned are also conducting a campaign on the treatment of dengue.

She urged the people to follow the advice of the doctors to save themselves from the menace.

Sheikh Hasina also spoke about banning producing, marketing, selling and consumption of pasteurised milk produced by 14 companies.

The prime minister said all on a sudden a professor said after conducting a test that milk of those companies is not usable and the High Court banned the pasteurisation of the milk of the 14 companies for five weeks following a writ.

Sheikh Hasina said nobody thinks about its real results. “What will be the fate of those who earn livelihoods by selling the milk … what will be their condition if they cannot earn money and feed their cows?”

“Thinking about this reality is very much necessary,” she added.

The prime minister asked whether the professor who conducted the test of milk of the 14 companies examined the imported milk.

“I think he didn’t do it. So, he should examine the matters of importing, storing, packaging and marketing of the imported milk,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh does not want to remain dependent on imports, rather it wants to become self-reliant. “We want to meet the demand of the country by producing all goods,” she said.

“So it should be examined whether there is any trick of the importers and whether they are encouraging anybody to this end,” she said.

The premier said her government is encouraging the people to set up dairy farms. “We’ve ensured food security of the people, now we want to ensure their nutrition,” she said.

About the ongoing flood, Sheikh Hasina said her party is taking steps side by side with the government to tackle the natural calamity.

The AL chief asked the leaders and workers of the party and associate bodies to stand beside the flood-hit people.

She also put emphasis on dredging the rivers regularly to check river erosion.

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