As municipalities across the country head to the polls on December 30, the Ajmiriganj municipality in Habiganj will continue its 11-year wait for an election.
Since Ajmiriganj was made a municipality in 2004, the role of administrator has changed hands several times, but locals say the area has seen little development because there had been no elected representative.
The delay in election is caused by disputes – one case and another written complaint – over the demarcation of the municipality.
Nayagram village resident Towhid Ali filed the case when the municipality was founded in 2004; its verdict is currently pending. The other complaint was filed with the UNO by Ward 8 councillor Jyotish Kuri, but its hearing cannot start until the verdict in the other case.
In January 2004, the BNP government declared the 6.5 sq-km area of Ajmiriganj upzila sadar as a municipality. The area has 16,000 residents, 9,000 of them voters including 3,500 Hindu voters.
The local upazila nirbahi officer acted as the initial administrator of the municipality, but the office was then given to upazila BNP General Secretary Md Golam Faruk.
He served as the administrator until September 2012 when the role went back to the then UNO as Faruk had cases against him. However, less than a year later, a court ruling paved way for Faruk being reappointed as the municipality administrator.
Asked for a comment, Faruk said his administration would provide all necessary support if the court clears the way for an election.
However, a local voter named Sohel Ahmed claimed that it was the will of the municipality administrator that was delaying a poll.
Another voter named Khalilur Rahman echoed Sohel, saying the municipality residents were being denied of development for the lack of an election.
