Discussions among residents of Sreepur municipality area in Gazipur in the run-up to the municipal polls are dominated by frustration over the lack of a number of facilities.
They say the area has not seen substantial development and is riddled with problems such as lack of good educational institutions, playgrounds and amusement parks, unplanned housing and industrialisation, and insufficient supply of gas and water.
Zahirul Islam, a drug trader in Ujilab village, said the municipality has officially been given a second-class status but the reality is different.
“The residents do not get the facilities that a municipality of this grade should offer. Mayor and councillor candidates try to woo us by promising a set of developments during electioneering, but those turn into hollow promises once the election is over,” he said.
“This time, I am not going to be persuaded by the insincere words of the candidates. I will do my calculations before casting my ballot.”
Advocate Emdadul Haque Masum, who lives in Ward 1, made similar remarks, saying: “Presumably, the annual budget of the municipality is not implemented properly. If that was the case, we would have seen at least some development projects being implemented every year.”
The municipality, which was founded in November 2000 and has an area of 46.97 square kilometres, was given second-class status in March 2007.
Nazrul Islam, a CNG-run autorickshaw driver, said the condition of roads in the municipality area is very poor and drivers face difficulties while driving.
“Candidates come to us during campaigns and seek votes but low-income people like us are not making progress. This time, I will choose a candidate who will think about our miseries and help us,” he added.
The municipality area has a population of more than 150,000 while the number of voters is 57,961 – 29,226 males and 28,735 females.
