Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday urged government officials to go beyond their assigned duties and called for greater public awareness and collective action to protect the environment and forests and build a liveable Bangladesh for future generations.

He made the call at a meeting to review the progress and implementation of activities of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change at the ministry’s conference room in Dhaka.

The meeting decided to identify and conserve the country’s mother trees within the next six months. It also directed officials to ensure regular care of planted trees, send personnel to monitor their survival and explore ways to expand afforestation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

The prime minister stressed the need to increase green spaces where people could connect with nature. He also called for encouraging rooftop and school gardens, as well as gardens in other buildings.

He said government initiatives alone would not be enough to protect the environment, emphasising that greater public awareness would make the work easier.

He also called for separate public awareness plans to support the implementation of environmental and forest conservation measures.

Expressing concern over air pollution in Dhaka, Tarique said the capital had ranked first or second among the world’s most polluted cities for years, describing the situation as a matter of shame for the country.

He urged everyone to take responsibility for changing the situation.

Addressing ministry officials, he said they had the capacity to do more than their assigned duties.

“Not everyone gets the opportunity to work for the country. Those who hold responsible positions today have that opportunity. They should not stop at fulfilling their prescribed duties but should try to do more for the people,” he said.

The prime minister said Allah had given them an opportunity to contribute to the country and its people, adding that officials could fulfil their regular office hours without facing criticism for doing nothing more. However, he warned that environmental degradation would harm future generations, who would continue to live in the country.

He reiterated that everyone needed to go beyond their formal responsibilities to improve the environment and use their abilities to bring about change.

Referring to the plan to plant 25 crore trees, Tarique said the entire population would benefit if the initiative was implemented properly. Collective efforts, he added, could deliver positive results for the country.

The meeting also decided that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change would take initiatives to make up for any shortfall if other ministries planted fewer trees than their respective targets. Regular maintenance and monitoring of planted trees would also be ensured.

Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo, State Minister Sheikh Faridul Islam, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Saimum Parvez, acting secretary Fahmida Khanam and senior officials attended the meeting.