The Dhaka mayoral elections have taken place, and now it is time to deliver.
Dhaka, a city of millions, has more than a few problems that need to be taken care of -- problems that hamper each and every citizen from living a good life; and, more importantly, problems that the mayors have promised to address through their vigorous campaigns.
Be it the severe traffic congestion that dampens our productivity, to the rapidly declining quality of our air that threatens to shorten our lives drastically, not to mention the nigh seasonal waterlogging that exacerbates our already crumbling infrastructure and paving the way for further issues, such as providing spawning grounds for the dengue-carrying Aedes mosquitoes.
All of these problems, and more, were included in the manifestos of our mayoral candidates, and to fall short of addressing these issues would be a failure.
In the past, we have seen plenty of instances where political leaders have over-promised and under-delivered -- but given the very specific role of what it means to be the mayor of a city, regardless of its scope and size, any irregularities in fulfilling their duties are unacceptable.
There is no doubt that Dhaka, and indeed Bangladesh, has transformed in the last few years. Ours is one of the most promising economies, we are told, but such claims can become hard to believe when we look at the reality on the ground.
Dhaka is not just home to millions of people, it is also home to millions of problems; and if the mayors wish to justify their positions, they will need to remedy each and every one of them.
