Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, public representatives in Rajshahi have gone into hiding.
Almost all representatives have reportedly yet to return to their workplaces, disrupting civic services and causing inconvenience to the public.
According to the local administration, some representatives are starting to return to their workplaces as security operations have commenced.
Since August 5, most councillors of the Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC), except for the mayor and a few others, have gone into hiding.
A resident of the Saheb Bazar area, Manjur Hossain said: "I need a birth certificate for my son's admission, but the office of the Ward 12 councillor has been closed for several days and was also found closed today (Monday)."
Rayhan Ali, a resident of Ward 23, said: "I urgently need a citizenship certificate, but the councillor’s office is locked. I am not sure what to do now."
The same situation prevails in the upazilas and municipalities of Godagari, Tanore, Puthia, Durgapur, Paba, Mohonpur, Bagha, Charghat, and Baghmara, where most mayors and chairmen are in hiding, disrupting their activities. Most union chairmen are also in hiding, affecting the operations of union councils.
Jamat Khan, general secretary of Rajshahi Raksha Sangram Parishad, said: "Due to the current situation in the country, many representatives from the city corporation to the district level are in hiding, severely depriving the citizens of services. We demand urgent measures from the military or the administration."
Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner Shamim Ahmed said: "Not all, but some are present. If this is the case, the government will take action."
Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner Dr Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir said: "Even if the representatives are absent, there is an administrative officer present who can dispose of the files."
