Planning Minister Major General (retd) Abdus Salam on Sunday visited capital’s different damaged infrastructures, including Dhaka Elevated Expressway toll plaza, BRTA main office, Setu Bhaban, the Department of Disaster Management Office, BTV building and Kazipara metrorail station.
During his visits to the damaged sites, he enquired about the extent of the losses from the officials concerned and expressed his resentment over such extent of losses.
Speaking on the occasion, the planning minister said those who unleashed such arson attacks on such public establishments lack patriotism adding, "Having patriotism is indispensable for pursuing politics. If they (BNP-Jamaat miscreants) cannot love the country, then they have no rights to do politics. It's not possible to do politics through causing harm to the country and its resources."
He also mentioned that these attacks on the government establishments were very much pre-planned by the trained miscreants.
Noting that such pre-planned attacks by the miscreants have reminded of the countrymen about the aggression of the Pakistani occupation forces, he said these recent vandalism and arson attacks on the government structures were the acts of the defeated Pakistani forces collaborators.
While visiting the damaged Rampura BTV centre, he said the damaged portion of the state-run BTV building would be renovated again after assessing the losses, but still there are some losses like burnt historical documents and artifacts which could not be compensated.
He also called upon the countrymen to remain vigil about the subversive acts of the miscreants and thus help to preserve the history and tradition of the country.
Salam said it would not be possible to deter the pace of the country's development through hatching conspiracies, unleashing attack, arson and ruining the country's resources.
"The country will march ahead under the able and dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the worthy daughter of Father of the Nation, and thus turn into a prosperous, developed nation by 2041 as per our plan," he added.
At least 30 major establishments, including the main building of Bangladesh Television (BTV), two metrorail stations, Khaja Tower, hub of the city's internet data cables, Setu Bhaban along with the vehicles of police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were torched and severely damaged by protesters during the quota-reform movement on July 18 and July 19.
