Chittagong City Corporation Mayor designate AJM Nasir Uddin, after officially taking on his responsibilities yesterday, said his top-most priority was to address the perennial waterlogging problem.
He also said he would focus on bringing back chain of command at the city corporation.
“I am taking charge of the city corporation at a time when waterlogging is prevalent in the city. I have already taken some pragmatic measures for addressing the problem, and I can challenge that now it is not as acute as it was in the past,” Nasir, also the general secretary of Awami League’s Chittagong city unit, told reporters after taking office.
He said the city corporation had a debt of Tk2,952,693,174 but Tk608,797,709 had been paid till July 16. “The remaining debt will be repaid gradually.”
The mayor said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had assured him of providing assistance for the city’s development projects and a number of projects were being processed at the inter-ministerial level.
“I will introduce revised plans for the city’s drainage system and canals will be dug as part of the steps to remove waterlogging,” he said.
Nasir also mentioned some other problems in the city corporation and in the port city, and stressed that he would work to resolve all those. “I will keep my political identity beyond my duties and will not give in to any influence.”
The newly elected ward councillors, former councillors and top officials of the city corporation were at the conference room of Nagar Bhaban when Nasir formally succeeded the acting mayor, Mohammad Hossain.
The 41 ward councillors and 14 women reserved-seat councillors of the city corporation also took over yesterday, with the tenure of the previous mayor and councillors ending on Saturday.
Nasir defeated the former mayor, M Manjur Alam, in the April 28 polls and took oath on May 6 along with the two other mayors of Dhaka’s two city corporations.
