Online Reporter/

The decision to have two new divisions was earlier. The names of the two sections have also been fixed. There will be two divisions named after two big rivers. Among these, ‘Padma’ division will cover some districts of Greater Faridpur and ‘Meghna’ division will cover Comilla and surrounding districts.

This information is known from the sources of the Cabinet Department.

According to the source, there is a meeting of the National Implementation Committee (NICA) on administrative restructuring next Sunday. On the agenda there are proposals to approve two new departments. A secretarial meeting is also scheduled to be held on the same day. These meetings will be held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Communications Division. Rahat Anwar told Ganamadhram that the issue of two departments may come up in the November 27 meeting.

Currently there are eight administrative divisions in the country. These are – Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet, Rangpur and Mymensingh.

Beyond this are the Padma and Meghna divisions. The government’s policy makers had already announced the new department.
Among them, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina spoke about the proposed two departments at the opening ceremony of the newly constructed building of the Comilla Metropolitan Awami League through virtual media in October last year. On that day he said – ‘I have taken a decision regarding the department. I will make two sections, named after my two rivers. One Padma, another Meghna. I want to make two divisions under these two names. But Comilla MP Bahar objected to that.

Now the formal process for making the new division is going to be done. If this happens, the number of administrative divisions in the country will stand at 10.

Apart from this, the proposal to form a municipality in Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district, reorganize the boundaries of Madarganj upazila by separating the disputed parts of Kajala and Boyail union of Sariakandi upazila of Bogra district and merge it with Madarganj upazila of Jamalpur district and expanding the boundaries of Nandail municipality of Mymensingh district.
Before this, the meeting date of June 2 was fixed. In the agenda of that meeting there was a proposal to form two departments. Later that meeting was adjourned.

But in the meantime, rumors spread on social media that Comilla and Faridpur have been divided.

NICA considers proposals for formation or establishment of new divisions, districts, upazilas, city corporations, municipalities and police stations. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the convener of the National Implementation Committee on Administrative Reorganization. There are 11 ministers and state ministers as members of this committee. Apart from this, there are 11 secretaries and secretaries of different ministries and departments besides the Cabinet Secretary, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister.

With two new divisions, the number of divisions in the country will stand at 10. All the previous divisions were named after local cities, but this time, for the first time, two divisions are going to be named after two rivers.

On October 21 and December 7 last year, the Prime Minister announced that Comilla will be named after the Meghna river and Faridpur will be named after the Padma river.

On October 21 last year, the prime minister said, “I have decided about the division” while participating virtually in the opening ceremony of the Comilla Metropolitan Awami League office. I will make two sections named after two rivers. One is Padma and the other is Meghna.

At that time, Member of Parliament of Comilla Sadar Constituency and President of Metropolitan Awami League Bir Muktijoddha AKM Bahauddin Baha demanded that a division be given in the name of Comilla. But the Prime Minister opposed it. He said, I will not give the name ‘Ku’. The name of Comilla is associated with the name of Moshtaq.

The five districts of Padma Division include Faridpur, Shariatpur, Rajbari, Gopalganj and Madaripur. On the other hand Comilla, Brahmanbaria and Chandpur and Noakhali, Feni and Lakshmipur are in the Meghna division.