Cabinet committee recommends extension of Eid holidays by one day

The Cabinet Committee on Law and Order has recommended extending the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday by one day. 

As per the previous announcement, there is a public holiday (subject to moon sighting) for the upcoming holy Eid-ul-Fitr from 10 to 12 April. 

The committee has suggested extending this holiday by one additional day, starting from 9 April, the committee chief and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque told reporters at a press briefing today (31 March). 

"A recommendation will be sent to the cabinet tomorrow [1 April] regarding the recommendation of extending the holidays by one day, aiming to facilitate smooth travel for the holidaymakers," said the minister.

He further highlighted that if Eid falls on 11 April, people will only have one day to travel from cities to villages, leading to increased traffic congestion and concerns of inconvenience among the holidaymakers. 

Therefore, the committee intends to propose to the cabinet the consideration of declaring 9 April as a holiday to alleviate these concerns.

The Eid-ul-Fitr, the largest religious festival of Muslims, will be celebrated in the country on either 10 or 11 April, depending on the sighting of the moon. 

However, the government has set Eid holidays for 10, 11, and 12 April, considering Ramadan lasts for 30 days and Eid-ul-Fitr falls on 11 April. Prior to this, there is a holiday for Shab-e-Qadr on 7 April. Offices will remain open on 8 and 9 April before the Eid holiday.  

Speaking at the media briefing, AKM Mozammel said, "To ensure timely payment of workers' salaries, banks can remain open for extended hours, including on closing days, to prevent any dissatisfaction among the workers."

The home minister will meet with the owners on Monday to address this matter and take necessary action to ensure that workers' dues are paid promptly, he added.