Speaking at the Secretariat following a comprehensive security coordination meeting with heads of intelligence agencies, law enforcement, and leaders from Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and Hindu Religious Welfare Trust, Minister Ahmed detailed administrative preparations for the upcoming festival. Highlighting communal harmony, the Minister announced that the number of Durga Puja mandaps has expanded to 33,810 this year—an increase of nearly 1,500 locations—while official government allocation for the festival has been raised from BDT 4 crore to BDT 5 crore under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's directive. Security measures will feature 24-hour central and divisional police monitoring, verified local volunteer deployments, mandatory secondary power backup across all venues, and real-time incident reporting via an NTMC digital platform. Additionally, with public holidays extended to three days alongside the weekend, citizens will observe a five-day festive break.