6,200 officials remove 135 tonnes of waste in Chattogram in a day

Published : Saturday, 25 July, 2026 at 9:32 PM

Observer Correspondence

DC Zahid leads district-wide clean-up covering 3,225 government buildings and schools; month-long drive to continue every Saturday.

Around 6,200 government officials and employees removed 135 tonnes of waste across Chattogram on Saturday, launching a month-long district-wide clean-up campaign led by Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mian.

According to the district administration, the operation marked one of the largest coordinated cleanliness drives in the district, with thousands of officials and employees taking part simultaneously across Chattogram.

Held under the slogan "Porichchhonno Kori Nagar-Gram, Gori Nandonik Chattogram" (Clean Our Cities and Villages, Build an Aesthetic Chattogram), the campaign began with a procession from the Chattogram Circuit House.

Government offices, residential complexes, upazila-level establishments and schools were cleaned simultaneously as part of the initiative. Students, representatives of environmental organisations and people from different professions also joined the drive.

"We do not want to impose this on anyone or force people to participate. We want cleanliness to become a habit," DC Zahid said.

3,225 buildings and schools covered

The campaign was carried out across the district.

According to the district administration, it covered 416 buildings under 131 government offices, 108 buildings in eight government residential areas, 406 upazila-level government buildings and 2,295 educational institutions.

In total, 3,225 buildings and schools were brought under the initiative.

Rooftops, courtyards and surrounding areas were cleared of accumulated waste, with around 135 tonnes of waste removed by the end of the first day's operation, the district administration said.

The campaign will continue every Saturday for a month, with authorities maintaining records of the volume of waste collected from each location.

Officials have also been instructed to photograph buildings and premises before and after cleaning to document the changes and monitor progress.

"We will collect reports on how much waste has been removed and collected," Zahidul said.

"We are also documenting what the buildings and premises looked like before the clean-up and how they look afterwards."

Top officials join drive

The programme began with a procession from the Circuit House, passing through Kazir Dewri, Chattogram Officers' Club and the Radisson Blu area before returning to the starting point.

Clean-up activities were later carried out at Court Hill, including the premises of the deputy commissioner's office, the lawyers' building and the rooftop of the DC office.

Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Dr Shahadat Hossain, Chattogram Development Authority Chairman Engineer Belayet Hossain and Divisional Commissioner Dr Md Ziauddin joined the programme.

Chattogram Range DIG Md Moniruzzaman, recently promoted to additional inspector general of police, CMP Commissioner Hasan Md Shawkat Ali and Superintendent of Police Md Masud Alam were also present, along with senior officials from various government agencies.

'Cleanliness must become a habit'

Zahidul said the campaign aimed not only to remove accumulated waste but also to foster a culture in which keeping workplaces, educational institutions and neighbourhoods clean becomes part of everyday life.

"We believe that healthy thinking requires a healthy body and a healthy mind," he said.

"If the environment is unhealthy, healthy thinking, a healthy body and a healthy mind cannot flourish."

He said lasting change could not be achieved through administrative enforcement alone, stressing the need for voluntary public participation and a shared sense of responsibility.

The campaign also seeks to help create a healthier environment for future generations.

"We have launched this initiative with everyone to help build a healthy Bangladesh and a healthy society for the next generation," he said.

Zahidul added that environmental quality and civic cleanliness increasingly influence how a country is perceived internationally.

"We want a clean Bangladesh. We want to change Bangladesh," he said.

"We are working to present to the world an image of a country with a healthy environment, a beautiful society and a strong position on the global stage."

The district administration said the campaign's progress would be reviewed every week. Data on waste removal, along with before-and-after photographs, will be collected every Saturday to assess whether the areas remain clean.

Officials said the objective is to turn the large-scale Saturday clean-up into a sustainable practice rather than a one-day exercise.