Most government offices were in a holiday mood on Sunday as holidays for one-day Duga Puja and three-day Eid-ul-Azha for both private and public organisations began today.
Attendance was thin at most government offices including the Bangladesh Secretariat on the last office day before the vacation which was followed by the weekend on October 18 and 19 (Friday and Saturday).
‘There were hardly any activities at my office today as almost 50 per cent employees of the ministry did not come to office,’ a senior officer at the food ministry told New Age.
He said that those who came to the office on Sunday left earlier either to leave Dhaka for their village homes or to visit cattle markets for buying sacrificial animals.
The one-day public holiday for Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community, is on October 14 while the three-day vacation for Eid-ul-Azha, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Muslims, begins on October 15 merging with the weekend (Friday and Saturday), according to the government holiday calendar.
Employees of the government, semi-government and autonomous organisations will have a longer vacation this time as public holidays for Puja and Eid merge with weekends.
Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated on October 16 as the new moon of Arabic month of Zilhajj was sighted on October 6.
The holidays at all offices in the public sector virtually began from October 11 (Friday) and will end on October 19 (Saturday) with the single office day on October 13. ‘This is true that many of us will have the opportunity to enjoy a nine-day vacation on the occasions of the festivals this time,’ said another official.
Talking to New Age, a number of government officials and employees at the secretariat said many of them would leave Dhaka for a ‘longer vacation’ this time to celebrate the festivals with their relations in remote districts.
Many had skipped offices on Sunday to avoid last moment’s hassles to get transport for their village homes, the officials said, adding that some had taken the advantage of optional leave and did not attend offices on October 13.
-With New Age input
