Officials of the two city corporations and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk) are showing indifference towards their duties of serving the city dwellers fearing political instability centring the 10th parliament election slated on January 5.
Sources at the three apex government-run city service and development authorities claim that fear of possible political unrest, including programmes like hartals and blockades after the polls have retarded their operations.
The sources also alleged that most of the high-ups in Dhaka South City Corporations (DSCC), Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Rajuk have been appointed through political lobbying; as a result, they were now more concerned about the result of upcoming polls rather than their respective responsibilities.
Visiting the office of DSCC, DNCC and Rajuk in last two weeks, this correspondent found most of officials absent in the office and unavailable over phone.
Prof Dr Sarwar Jahan, head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Buet, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Political unrest goes unabated, but it is not acceptable that the city corporations and Rajuk’s services would plummet showing this as a cause.”
He also said as most of the officials of these organisations had been appointed on deputation, they might likely be anxious about aftermath of the election, but that should not stop them from serving the public.
They are holding political instability and election as a cause behind their lack of responsibility, he added.
Residents of different areas in both DSCC and DNCC alleged that the potholes on the streets have not been fixed; no measure had been taken to fix the drainage system, garbage management and mosquito menace in the areas. Especially they complained about lack of mosquito drives as mosquitoes become dominant during dry season.
The cleaners hardly follow the corporation’s rules.
Keramot, a cleaner in Sobhanbagh area under DSCC, said: “The schedule for collecting wastes in this area is in the morning, I came in the afternoon because in the morning I was collecting waste in another spot.”
Rajuk is running 19 big-scale projects while DSCC and DNCC are running seven and 17 projects respectively-all of which are at a halt at this moment because of the negligence of authorities who fear political tension as aftermath of the parliamentary polls.
However, denying such allegation, DSCC Chief Executive Officer Md Ansar Ali Khan said: “It is not negligence of the city corporation officials fearing political tension. Political unrest is currently obstructing smooth run of the projects and as a result they might not be completed within schedule.”
“The non-stop blockades impede the process of providing all types of services’” he added.
DNCC Chief Engineer Brigadier General Mohammad Abul Khayer said: “The construction of different projects and services by the corporation are being hampered because of the oppositions’ movements. So, amid such political situation it is difficult to set deadlines for the projects.”
He claimed that the corporations’ staffs and labours are not being able to move freely because of the blockades which are creating hindrance in providing public services.
Rajuk Chief Engineer (implementation) Md Emdadul Islam said: “Most of the development projects are currently in limbo in the wake of continuous blockades and strikes.”
“All the projects will resume after the January 5 polls,” he added.
