Shawdesh Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday urged the countrymen not to put their near and dear ones’ lives into threat rushing to village homes to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr.

“I know people are rushing towards villages on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr. You may come in contact with the coronavirus on ferry or in vehicle on your way as you don’t know who is infected with the virus and you bring it to your family, father-mother, grandfather-grandmother, brother-sister and others. You can infect them and put their lives in risk,” she said.

She simultaneously called for taking precautionary measures to be protected from the variant found in a neighbouring country that claims lives frequently.

The prime minister was addressing a function to distribute plot allotment letters to 1440 remaining main inhabitants and general people affected by the Purbachal New Town Project held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital.

Joining virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence here, she called upon the countrymen to be patient thinking of the welfare of own self and family as well, saying “what else damage” will take place if one Eid is not celebrated staying at home.

She added: “So, don’t move, stay at the places where you are right now and enjoy the Eid as you wish.”

About the new variant of the Covid-19, the premier said a new virus variant has come which is more harmful and fatal and urged all to wear masks and be careful about it to keep all protected.

She mentioned that people are dying in Bangladesh and elsewhere across the globe due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The prime minister said, “People are dying regularly in our neighbouring country. It is quite natural that whatever happens to our neighbor, it may have the chance to come to our country. So, we have to be protected well before and we have to move that way.”

State Minister for Housing and Public Works Sharif Ahmed, Chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, MP, its Secretary Md. Shahid Ullah Khandaker and Chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) A B M Amin Ullah Nuri, spoke on the occasion from the BICC end.

PM’s Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus moderated the function from the Ganabhaban site.

On behalf of the prime minister, the state minister later handed over the plot allotment letters to the people affected by the Purbachal New Town Project.

Earlier, a video documentary on the project was screened on the occasion.