It has been almost two years since the Dhaka City Corporation bifurcated on November 29, but little has been done to improve citizen services.
Split into two parts – Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation – the country’s largest and most important local government body has failed to live up to people’s expectations.
The city residents as well as urban planners say if such is the case following the bifurcation, it is unlikely that the future condition of the Corporation will be good.
The government divided the Dhaka City Corporation into the two parts on November 29, 2011.
Prof Nazrul Islam, president of Asiatic Society of Bangladesh and chairman of the Centre for Urban Studies, expressed concern over the lack of services provided to city dwellers.
“During bifurcation the government said citizen services would be increased, where is the change now?” he asked.
Prof Nazrul said no study or research was conducted on the merits and demerits of the DCC before its split.
However, according to different media reports, city dwellers of both south and north city corporations hardly reaped any extra benefits over last two years, he said.
The Asiatic Society president came down hard on civil society members, saying they hardly reacted to the diminishing role of the two city corporations in providing citizen services.
He suggested that the government should not frequently transfer two administrators – one for DSCC and another for DNCC – every six months in accordance with the city corporation act.
Top executives were transferred before they could fully understand their roles in the city corporation, thus ultimately depriving the city residents of better services, he added.
Prof Dr Sarwar Jahan, head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Buet, said, because of the DCC’s bifurcation, citizen services had missed their mark.
Different political parties and specialists were opposed to the government’s initiative for the split of the country’s largest and most important local government body, he recalled.
Prof Sarwar held two factors responsible for the city corporation’s failed to meet the citizens’ demands.
The two are the bifurcation of DCC and an absence of public representatives in the two city corporations.
“If the government does not change its decision, the level of services will deteriorate in the days to come,” he said.
Meanwhile, residents of different areas in DSCC and DNCC alleged that it has been two years since the potholes on city streets have been fixed, let alone taking measures to deal with the drainage system, garbage management and mosquito menace.
With the advent of the dry season, mosquitoes are back in full force but the anti-mosquito drive of both city corporations seems to be on the decline.
Moreover, collecting different certificates including birth certificates and TINs from a total of 10 zonal offices under the two city corporations (each comprising of five zones) has become a tall task for the city dwellers.
Officials and employees of the corporations allegedly force people to pay bribes for issuing them.
However, DSCC Administrator Mohammad Nazmul Islam denied the allegation.
He told the Dhaka Tribune, after bifurcation, city dwellers were getting services easily and added that the quality of services had also improved.
In regard to a question about the absence of public representatives, Nazmul said city residents were not facing any problems because of their absence.
“We have five zonal offices for city people to avail themselves of services very easily,” he added.
DNCC Administrator Akhter Hussain Bhuiya echoed the same view.
He said, “People are getting all our facilities very easily now. However, we are somewhat strict to issue birth certificate because we need to verify information regarding birth.”