City corporations workers made to pull down AL decorations

Cleaners from Dhaka's two city corporations are busy pulling down decorations that were put up for Awami League's national council, although the organisers had promised to remove them the day after the council. The cost of removing these massive numbers of banners, festoons, bamboo gates, billboards and other material is being borne by the city, while allegations are that in some places Awami League activists are preventing corporation workers from cleaning up, Bangla Tribune reports. The council was held on October 22 and 23. Ahead of the event, Dhaka north and south city corporations gave permissions to Awami League to place gates, banners, festoons, lighting and other decorations. Both letters for permission, as seen by Bangla Tribune, are similarly worded. The letter from Dhaka south gives seven conditions for the permission. Condition number four says: “The decorations will have to be removed within the day after the national council under own management.” Condition number five says foot over-bridges cannot be decorated because of a High Court ban. On Sunday, Bangla Tribune found that many important intersections in the city such as the High Court, Purana Paltan and Dhanmondi 32 still had gates installed. The foot over-bridge in front of the National Press Club is completely covered with banners. Opposite the Press Club is a giant banner. Asked why these decorations had not been removed yet, Awami League council stage and decorations sub-committee member Mirza Azam said: “We told the city corporations on October 27 to remove all this. They are working accordingly.” Asked why the city corporations were doing the work the party had promised to do, he said: “We don't have the space to keep all this. That is why we asked the city corporations.” Dhaka south's Waste Management Officer Monwar Hossain alleged that he was stopped by a local Awami League leader when he went to remove a billboard in Dayaganj. “Later we removed the other decorations but left that billboard where it is,” he said. Additional Chief Waste Management Officer Khandker Millatul Islam said: “Many in Awami League removed their billboards, banners and posters. We are removing the rest. Hopefully soon all of it will be removed.”