President MD Abdul Hamid has urged the government, social representatives, political leaders, students and others concerned to create a mass resistance against the use of harmful chemicals like formalin in food, fruits and vegetables, as it is an ‘act of mass killing’, reports BSS.
Addressing the third convocation of Sylhet’s Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) on Wednesday (Jan 8), he said a section of dishonest businesspeople is frequently using hazardous chemicals and formalin in fruits, vegetables and other food items to become rich overnight which causes many fatal diseaseslike cancer.
“It’s a like a part of mass killing and it can’t be tolerated at all . . . If it continues, we’ll be paralyzed ultimately,” he said, urging the government to take necessary steps in this connection.
The head of the state also asked the students of all educational institutions, including universities, to create mass awareness against the dishonest traders who use toxic substances in foodstuff. He also advised the students to carry out cleanliness drive on the roads and other places to ensure a safe environment.
President Hamid asked the graduates for continuing research to attain uniqueness in the field of technology.
“Bangladesh has to achieve individualism in the field of technology . . . Continuous research is mandatory in this regard as the country’s progress depends on the invention of new technology and its expansion,” the President said.
Abdul Hamid added: “There is no alternative to technical knowledge to meet the demand of the state and mass people. Due to the blessings of information technology, the development could be reached at the people’s doorsteps.”
Terming the youth a driving force for the country’s development and positive changes, Hamid said, “You know well who’ve inspired you and extended financial help to gain knowledge and build yourselves as true human being – they’re our general people. So, the nation expects that you will play a responsible role for the people of Bangladesh.”
The President lauded the overall activities of SUST, hoping that the university would uphold its reputation to play a pivotal role in building militancy-free, scientific-minded generation imbued with the spirit of the 1971 Liberation War and the ideal of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.