The development of Dhaka has been put on the back burner because of bureaucrats being deputed as departmental heads at the bifurcated Dhaka city corporations, officials from both the DNCC and DSCC have claimed.
Permanent employees of the capital’s local governing body also cautioned that the situation might worsen if the government implements a new organogram, which proposes that only secretaries or additional secretaries could be appointed as departmental heads or other key top posts.
Disgruntled city corporation employees also claimed that corruption has dug its roots into the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North city Corporation (DNCC) since the city corporation was split up in 2011, as all posts – starting from the mayoral office to most first-class-level posts – were controlled by deputed bureaucrats who have almost no accountability to the public because of their short-terms in office.
Taking to the Dhaka Tribune, Khandker Millatul Islam, former general secretary of the undivided DCC and incumbent chief social welfare and cultural officer of the DSCC, said: “Most officials and employees of both city corporations are dissatisfied over the government system and the controversial new organogram.”
According to government rules, every employee should be evaluated based on their qualifications and performance, Millatul said. However, the new organogram contradicted such rules as its implementation would mean that even the best performing employee of the city corporation would never be promoted to the highest post of their department, while salary scales would also decrease for some ranks, Millatul added.
“We have discussed with the city corporation high-ups about the controversial decision and the corporation has sent a letter to review the decision; but no fruitful result has come yet. We hope the LGD [Local Government Division] forms a committee to review the organogram,” Millatul said.
City corporation sources said according to the old organogram, appointment on deputation was only applicable for the posts of chief executive officer, secretary and executive magistrate; while departmental promotion was possible for appointing chief estate officer, chief engineer, chief revenue officer and press secretary of mayor.
However, the new organogram – proposed in October 2013 – recommends that every departmental head and their deputies must be appointed through deputation. The recommendation would also be applicable for all posts of the corporations’ estate department – a key department which handles all estates and assets under the respective jurisdictions.
Seeking anonymity, several mid-level officials of the DSCC and the DNCC, told the Dhaka Tribune that irregularities and corruption would increase if more appointments were made through deputations. Most deputed officials ran their respective departments on a whim as they only stayed with the city corporation for a couple of years, the officials added.
Asked about this issue, DNCC Chief Executive Officer BM Enamul Haque said: “We have received objections from the corporation officials and employees about the new organogram. We have no right to change it, and the LGD will do what they think.”
Also speaking about the discontent among the employees, DSCC Chief Executive Officer Ansar Ali Khan said: “Officials and employees appealed for changing the organogram and we have informed the matter to the LGD a long time ago.”
Nazrul Islam, chairman of Centre for Urban Studies, criticised the existing system and said: “Top executives of the corporations are transferred before they can fully understand their roles in the city corporation; thus ultimately depriving the city residents of better services.”
He suggested against frequent transfers of city administrators and called for handing over the city corporations’ responsibility to public representatives.