Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibli said that Prime Minister Tariq Rahman would prefer to use his personal vehicle rather than a government-provided vehicle during his tenure.
“He (the Prime Minister) remains comfortable in his personal vehicle during his movements,” the press secretary said.
Shibli further said that on his first day in office on Wednesday after taking oath, Rehman used his personal vehicle, which did not even have a national flag.
The press secretary also said that the new Prime Minister also directed the concerned authorities to reduce the number of escort vehicles to four, whereas till now the convoy of heads of government in the country used to have 13 to 14 vehicles.
“However, he will use the national flag in his vehicle while attending state programs and during visits by foreign guests,” it said.
The Prime Minister went to suburban Savar to pay homage at the National Memorial to the Martyrs of the Liberation War, to offer prayers at the graves of his parents and his Bangladesh Secretariat office in Savar.
The press secretary also said that the new Prime Minister also directed the concerned authorities to reduce the number of escort vehicles to four, whereas till now the convoy of heads of government in the country used to have 13 to 14 vehicles.
He said the Prime Minister decided to hold most of the Cabinet meetings at the Bangladesh Secretariat instead of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), where most of the ministers sit.
He said that Tariq Rehman took this decision because the mass arrival of ministers to attend meetings at the PMO would increase traffic jams on busy days and commuters would face problems.
“The Prime Minister has so far directed the concerned ministry to stop this practice, which requires police members to stand on both sides of the roads (during the Prime Minister’s movement),” Shibli said.