Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh has said good governance, one of his election promises, has been ensured in Dhaka South City Corporation as a result of persistent and relentless efforts against corruption.
The mayor was speaking at a press conference at the Mayor Hanif Auditorium of Nagar Bhaban on Tuesday.
"From the first day, I have been implementing a zero-tolerance policy against irregularities and corruption. This is an ongoing process under administrative reform. In the past three years, hundreds of officials and employees have been dismissed for various crimes including corruption and irregularities."
He added: "The rate of implementation of monitoring and development programs has increased as well as the speed of delivery of citizen services and the day-to-day functioning of the city corporation."
"I have been earnestly striving to implement the zero-tolerance policy against corruption, increase revenue collection through the creation of new sectors and end illegal occupations; and we will continue this great work in the days to come. As a result, corruption has decreased and revenue has increased," he said.
He also said: "I promised to establish good governance without imposing any tax burden on the people of Dhaka. As per that promise, we have not increased any tax in any sector in the last three years. In the financial year 2019-20, the revenue collection of the city corporation was only Tk513.96 crore, which increased to Tk703.31 crore and Tk879.65 crore in the fiscal years 2020-21 and 2021-22, respectively."
“Some 25 new sectors have been created and we have started revenue collection from 14 new sectors. As a result, the DSCC continued to create history in revenue collection in the midst of a global crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic, which is still progressing
“At present, the DSCC is self-financing the construction and development of infrastructure to alleviate waterlogging, removal of sewage from canals and sewers, registration of almost all vehicles of the city corporation, long 50-year land development tax and other accumulated dues have also been paid.”
Taposh said in the past three years, the DSCC has recovered more than 34 acres of land through hundreds of eviction operations, with an estimated market value of more than Tk3,100 crore.
Regarding traffic congestion, he said, with the aim of reducing traffic and increasing the mobility of vehicles, an initiative has been taken to widen the road to eight lanes from Rai Bazar Sluice Gate to Postogola Bridge. This project was approved in the verification committee meeting of the Ministry of Local Government on April 16.
He said the work of appointing a consulting firm has been completed with the aim of constructing physical infrastructure and installing artificial intelligence-based automatic traffic signals at 53 intersections of the Dhaka South City Corporation. At present, the process of preparing a development project proposal is ongoing, he said.
The mayor expressed his determination to make Dhaka a hawker-, waterlogging- and corruption-free, tourist-friendly city and said that the work of the Dhaka South City Corporation is aimed at making Dhaka a developed and smart capital by 2041 in accordance with Vision 2041 announced by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
