Bangladesh Bank on Monday asked scheduled banks to ensure swift and smooth banking service to facilitate payment of salaries, wages and festival allowances to garment workers before Eid-ul-Azha. The BB issued a circular to managing directors and chief executive officers of all banks asking them to take adequate measures so that the owners of the garment industries would be able to pay the salary and festival allowance before Eid-ul-Azha through the bank branches located in the industrial areas. The central bank issued the circular in line with a directive issued by the home ministry. The BB also asked the banks to keep open their branches located in the customs station areas — Dhaka, Chittagong, Benapole and Kamalapur — on September 24, the first day of a three-day Eid vacation, to ensure uninterrupted export and import services. The BB circular said that National Board of Revenue had made the decision to keep the bank branches open following a request of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association. The BB asked the banks to provide reasonable allowances for the bank officials who will do their job on the holiday.
