Dhaka, Oct. 19 -- Attendance at the Secretariat was high on Monday, the last working day before the Durga Puja holidays begin.

Officials and employees were busy wrapping up their pending work and filing documents before heading off for the break.

Meanwhile, conversations had turned to holiday plans, with the anticipation of a long break and festivities evident on people's faces.

Government offices will remain closed on Oct 20, 21 and 22 - Tuesday through Thursday - for Durga Puja this year. The three-day holiday will be followed by the weekly holidays on Friday and Saturday, Oct 23 and 24.

Discussing his plans for the break, Alamgir Hossain, an official at the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, told bdnews24.com: "We were talking a...