Dhaka South City Corporation administrator Md Shahjahan Mia resumed duties at Nagar Bhaban, the headquarters of the DSCC, on Thursday afternoon as Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Ishraque Hossain鈥檚 supporters reopened the office after 42 days of a shutdown.聽
Officials from the engineering division also returned to work.聽
Speaking to reporters at his office, the DSCC administrator said, 鈥榃e don鈥檛 want to look back鈥� We have lots of work ahead, and we will get it done.鈥�
He assured city residents that all civic services would continue without interruption and that all DSCC offices would remain open on next Friday and Saturday.
He emphasised three priority areas for the coming days鈥� mosquito control, maintaining cleanliness, and preparing the budget for the next financial year.
The administrator was welcomed by BNP-led Dhaka South City Corporation president Arif Chowdhury, one of the coordinators of the movement that demanded Ishraque鈥檚 swearing-in as DSCC mayor, and general secretary Belayet Hossain Babu and other supporters of Ishraque.聽
Arif and Belayet, who have been demonstrating for Ishraque, assured the DSCC administrator Shahjahan of their full cooperation.聽聽
Ishraque鈥檚 supporters had been protesting at Nagar Bhaban since May 14, demanding his swearing-in as the DSCC mayor, and the next day they locked the Nagar Bhaban and zonal offices.聽
Although the Nagar Bhaban was reopened on Monday but the offices of the administrator and the engineering division remained closed until Wednesday in line with the announcement made by Ishraque鈥檚 supporters.
Their demands followed a ruling by the Election Tribunal on March 27, which nullified the 2020 mayoral election results due to alleged widespread rigging and declared Ishraque the rightful mayor.
On April 27, the Election Commission issued a gazette notification following the tribunal鈥檚 order, but the Local Government Division has so far refused to administer the mayoral oath, citing legal complexities.
