Home ministry decides to cut visitors at Secretariat

The home ministry has decided to reduce the number of visitors at the Bangladesh Secretariat on security grounds.

In a letter, the ministry requested all ministries and divisions not to issue passes to visitors without confirming their identities.

The letter noted that security threats are heightening at the country's administrative hub, as passes have been issued without verification of the visitor's identity.

"...the presence of a huge number of visitors is hampering the work environment at the Secretariat badly," Home Secretary Mozammel Haque Khan told The Daily Star. 

He said, "Security threats are there. So we have to know the visitors' identities clearly." The letter, which was signed by the secretary and reached all ministries and divisions by Tuesday, said from now on designated officials would be able to issue a maximum of five passes every day instead of 10.

The home ministry also requested the ministries not to issue any temporary entry pass, stickers for vehicles, and hold any meeting before 3:00pm on Monday when the weekly cabinet meeting takes places with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

According to officials, 20,000 people come to the Secretariat daily.