Hasina accorded ‘grand reception’, commuters suffer

The ruling Awami League and its alliance partners accorded prime minister Sheikh Hasina a ‘grand reception’ with leaders and activists standing in the roads from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to her official residence Ganabhaban.
The reception caused huge sufferings to the city commuters and Dhaka-bound people for about five hours from 10:30am as traffic on the road from airport to Ganabhaban and roads connecting to airport road remained suspended for several hours.
Commuters also suffered because of transport crisis as a significant number of city buses were hired by the Awami League for carrying the party leaders and activists for the reception programme.
Middle-aged man Shamsul Haque, who was seen walking through the gathering on the airport road at about 12:30pm with his three family members, told New Age that they were going coming from Mymensingh to go Sayedabad but the bus got struck at Tongi at about 10:00am because of processions for the reception programme.
‘Like us, most of the passengers of the bus started walking for respective destinations hearing that the suspension of traffic would continue for several hours,’ he said.
Student Bakhtiar Rahman was seen requesting motor bikers in front of the airport at about 1:10am for a lift to reach Titumir Government College for his first year examination.
‘I am coming from Uttara on foot.  If I fail to get a transport, I cannot make it to take the exam,’ he added.
A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying the prime minister and members of her entourage landed at Hazrat Shahja

Leaders and activists of Bangladesh Awami League and its front organisations gather on the Airport Road to accord a reception to prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday as she returns home after attending the UNGA session in the USA. — Ali Hossain Mintu

lal International Airport at 1:05pm.
Several thousand people including leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League, its alliance partners and associate bodies standing both side of the route from airport to Ganabhaban welcomed and greeted Hasina for receiving United Nations’ highest environmental honour Champions of the Earth and International Telecommunication Union’s ICTs in Sustainable Development Award.
Hasina was the second Bangladesh national to receive Champions of the Earth after Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies executive director A Atiq Rahman.
Cabinet members Tofail Ahmed, Mohammad Nasim, Matia Chowdhury, Hasanul Haq Inu, Rashed Khan Menon, Anwar Hossain Manju, prime minister’s advisers, senior Awami League leaders Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Abdul Matin Khashru and Mahbubul Alam Hanif, and civil and military high officials received and greeted the prime minister at the airport. Diplomats were also present.
As the motorcade of the prime minister came out from the airport at about 1:20pm the party leaders and activists, carrying banners, festoons and national flag, welcomed her by waving hands and chanting slogans for her achievements.
Hasina responded to the welcome by waving hands from inside her jeep.
On her arrival at Ganabhban at about 2:00pm, she was also welcomed and greeted by senior party leaders, noted writers, cultural activists, national cricketers and leaders of different socio-cultural organisations.
On her way to Dhaka from New York via London, the prime minister made a one-hour stopover at Sylhet Osmani International Airport in the morning. She went to New York on September 24 to join the 70th UN General Assembly.
Hasina is likely to convene a press conference at Ganabhaban today to inform the media on the outcome of her eight-day official visit to the United States.

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