Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday asked VIPs of the country to follow the security rules at airports and warned that anyone flouting the regulations will face air travel restrictions in future.
"I want to say it clearly, here there are members of Parliament, ministers, chiefs of the services and other high officials, you have to follow the security measures at the airports of the country like you do in other countries' airports," she said while inaugurating the construction work of the ‘Third Terminal’ of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), reports UNB.
Sheikh Hasina said that everyone has to follow the security systems of the airports and none will be allowed to bypass it.
"If anyone creates obstacles to following these security rules, then that person will be stopped [from flying]. At least I will do that, you all have to remember that," she said.
In this connection, she told the audience that working for the country is all she does.
"If anyone wants to do any corruption or bypass any rule, then that information comes to me. Everyone has to remember that. We have given special importance to the security of the airports," she warned.
She asked all passengers to obey the security rules and regulations that are practiced internationally at the airports.
The Prime Minister also asked the authorities concerned to take special care of the expatriates who earn valuable foreign currencies for the country.
"We export manpower and earn huge amount of foreign currencies. We have to look after their (the expatriates’) facilities. Make sure that they are not harassed at airports. Special attention has to be given to this matter," she said.
Presided over by State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Mahbub Ali, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury and senior secretary of Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mohibul Haque, Japanese Ambassador Naoki Ito, Chief Representative of Bangladesh Office of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Hitoshi Hirata and Civil Aviation Authority and Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mofidur Rahman also spoke at the programme.
Briefly describing various development programmes of the government to improve the service of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the Prime Minister said that to improve the service for the passengers it would not be wise to give everything to the private sector.
"We had invited the private sector in the aviation industry while we were in the power in 1996, but we will not put the whole sector on them. [If we do,] then there might be price difference in the morning and afternoon on the same day," she said.
In this connection, she said that to increase the market share of Biman in the domestic routes the government has procured three more small planes from Canada and these will be available within a very short time.
"We will try to bring more aircrafts with those three so that we could extend our service to all airports of the country. We are taking that initiative," she said.
Sheikh Hasina said that the government is conducting drive against terrorism, militancy, drugs and corruption.
"We will not spare anyone found involved in corruption. We won’t tolerate that we will work day and night tirelessly, our people will engage in hard work and some dishonest persons will line their pockets through corruption. This will not happen here," she said.
She said that the government wants to make Bangladesh free from terrorism, drugs and corruption, and turn it into a prosperous and developed country which was the dream of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.