While taking charge as the mayor of the Barisal City Corporation (BCC), Serniabat Abul Khair Abdullah alias Khokan Serniabat on Tuesday said that the city corporation’s outstanding revenue amounts to Tk300 crore.
“I’ve taken office with such a huge deficit in revenue. I’ve only found Tk12 crore in the bank account of the BCC,” he said, vowing to reform the city corporation and ensure accountability among the officials and staffers.
“There will be no discrimination in the city corporation,” the mayor said in a programme organized at the BCC office building marking his induction as the BCC mayor.
He went on to say: “We want to turn Barisal into a smart city. In order to make Barisal a clean, planned, decorated, and habitable city, we need the help of its residents regardless of their political stance or identity."
Abul Khair Abdullah said: “Today I formally accepted the sacred responsibility as the mayor. I will work for the welfare and development of the city. I don't believe in revenge.
“I request that the officers and employees of the BCC serve the citizens above all interests in public service,” he said, and he thanked the prime minister for allocating around Tk800 crore recently.
Abul Khair Abdullah is the uncle of former BCC mayor Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah.
On June 12, Awami League mayoral candidate Abul Khair Abdullah won the BCC election with 87,807 votes. His nearest rival Islami Andolon Bangladesh candidate, Mufti Syed Mohammad Faizul Karim, bagged 33,828 votes.
The then mayor, Mayor Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, did not cast his vote.
The rift between him and Abul Khair Abdullah centred on the election took a serious turn soon after the latter was picked by the ruling Awami League as its candidate.
Abul Khair Abdullah took his oath as mayor on July 3.
Mentionable outgoing mayor Sadiq Abdullah, also the Barisal city unit Awami League general president, resigned on November 9. He and his father, district AL president Serniabat Abul Hasnat Abdullah MP, and their followers were absent from yesterday’s programme at the BCC.
Traffic chaos
On the occasion of the induction ceremony, the city was hit by traffic jams at 9 am as leaders and activists of the Awami League thronged the venue of the event.
After the ceremony, Abul Khair Abdullah entered his office around 1:30pm.
