Shawdesh Desk:

The nation welcomes the New Year today with new hopes for 2023 forgetting all the negativity and bad memories of 2022.

Youngsters across the country along with the global community arranged different programmes after the clock struck 12 to celebrate the beginning of the New Year.

In separate messages, President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina greeted the country’s people on the eve of 2023.

On the occasion, people from all walks of life, especially youths, are sending images and messages to friends, family members and beloved ones through social media platforms wishing them happiness and success throughout the year.

Fireworks, parties, and friend and family gatherings along with the winter delights were also held across the country to celebrate the occasion.

Usually the New Year’s Eve comes as an occasion for huge celebration across the globe, bidding farewell to the outgoing year.

New Zealand was among the first few countries to usher in the New Year. Celebrations then move across the world — to Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and finally the Americas.

People are also making New Year’s resolutions with great enthusiasm, planning strategies to reach new goals accomplishing the unfinished tasks in the coming days.

The year of 2022 was very significant for Bangladesh as the country saw many successes in major areas, including infrastructure development, economy, agriculture and IT, towards achieving the middle-income country status.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the much-hyped Padma Bridge on June 25, 2022 connecting the capital with the 21 south and south-western districts.

On December 28, she opened the country’s first-ever elevated metro rail, setting another milestone in the country’s communication history.

The prime minister inaugurated the 11.73km portion of the Mass Rapid Transit (Line-6) from Diabari to Agargaon by unveiling its plaque at Diabari.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has drawn up multi-tiered security measures for the New Year. It has banned programmes at open places for the sake of overall security and law and order.

At a press conference on Saturday, DMP Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq said all bars in the city will remain closed from 6:00pm on Saturday to Sunday evening.

No one will be able to carry licensed arms at residential hotels, restaurants and public gatherings.

No outsider and transport was allowed to enter Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara areas after 8:00pm.

Police personnel in uniform in plainclothes remained deployed and members of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit and bomb disposal team are discharging duties at different city points to ensure safety.

No one was allowed to hold cultural functions at road-crossings and flyovers. Fireworks and flying of ‘Fanush’ were also not allowed.