Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina  termed food adulteration, stockpiling, black marketing and ill attempt of creating crises of the daily commodities ahead of the holy Ramadan very contemptible, calling upon all to remain cautious against those on Thursday.

“I call upon all to stay alert as none can adulterate and stockpile food and create crises of daily essentials ahead of the Ramadan,” she said.The prime minister said this while inaugurating 50 more model mosques across the country joining virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence here.

She also requested the Alems and Imams to inform people about those social menaces through the khutbas (sermons) in the mosques to decrease the tendency of charging additional prices. “The Ramadan is ahead. Some unscrupulous businessmen are trying to increase the price of commodities. It is a very abominable task,” she said.

“It is unnecessary to give people pain after increasing the prices of essentials when they will be busy with observing Ramadan and offering prayers,” she added. With opening of 50 mosques in the third phase, the premier so far inaugurated 150 mosques out of 564 being built at a cost of Taka 9435 crore.

She earlier opened 50 mosques each in the first phase on June 10 in 2021 and in the second phase on January 16 in 2023. The construction of the rest of the mosques is scheduled to be completed by June 2024.

The model mosques and Islamic cultural centres include separate places for aju (ablution) and namaj along with air-conditioned systems.
Besides, there will be registration and training arrangements for Hajj pilgrims, Imam training centre, research centre and Islamic library, autism corner, ritual systems before burial, car parking facility, hifzakhana, pre-primary education and Quran learning arrangement, conference room for Islamic cultural activities and Islamic dawat, Islamic books sale centre, boarding facility for local and foreign guests along with the mosques.

State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan and its Secretary Kazi Enamul Hassan spoke at the function. PM’s Principal Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah moderated the programme.