Administrative activities of the Dhaka South City Corporation remained stalled for the third working day on Sunday, causing suffering to the service seekers as supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Ishraque Hossain kept the gates of its headquarters Nagar Bhaban locked, demanding his swearing-in as the south city mayor.
Many city residents who on the day visited Nagar Bhaban, which also houses at least two zonal offices, along with its other zonal offices for purposes, including getting birth and death certificates and trade licences, returned empty-handed.聽
Mashiur Rahman, on behalf of the protesters, announced at about 1:20pm that they would continue their blockade on Monday from 1:00am to 3:00pm.聽
DSCC chief executive officer Md Zillur Rahman told 抖阴精品 on the day, 鈥楢ll services are halted at Nagar Bhaban as no officials or employees could enter since May 15.鈥�
He said that services in all their 10 zonal offices remained stalled due to the protest.
鈥業f anyone faces issues, including expiring deadlines due to the protest, we will try to solve the situation once normalcy returns,鈥� the CEO said.
DSCC officials expressed concern that if the protest continued for an extended period, it might affect their preparations for Eid-ul-Azha, scheduled for the first week of June, as the tenders for at least four cattle markets had yet to be finalised.
They also feared that preparations for timely removal of the waste of sacrificial animals might be hampered too.聽
Md Liton came from Lalbagh to Nagar Bhaban on the day to pay his trade licence fees with the renewal deadline to expire on May 20.
鈥業 must pay within the deadline,鈥� he stressed, adding that he came to Nagar Bhaban as the DSCC Zone 3 office, the primary service delivery point situated in Azimpur for the residents within the zone, was also closed.聽
Md Alim came from Saydabad to Nagar Bhaban for the issuance of the death certificate for his son, who died recently in a road accident, also left empty-handed.聽
The protest started on May 14 under the banners of Dhakabashi (residents of Dhaka), Dhaka South City Corporation Sramik Karmachari Union (associated with Jatiyatabadi Shramik Dal, labour organisation backed by the BNP), and Biddut Karmachari Samajkallayan Samity (Electricity employees social welfare association).
At Saturday鈥檚 demonstrations, the protesters announced local government, rural development and co-operatives adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain persona non grata in Nagar Bhaban for the delay in Ishraque鈥檚 swearing in.
On Sunday meanwhile, the ministry of local government, rural development and cooperatives in a press release stated that it was waiting for the High Court verdict on a writ petition in this regard.
The release, signed by ministry public relations officer Md Salahuddin, said that Supreme Court lawyer Md Mamunur Rashid filed a writ in the High Court, seeking directives for the local government ministry to refrain from swearing in Ishraque and other related issues.
On May 15, the local government division sent a letter to the law and justice division, asking it if there were any legal complications in taking the next course of action based on a court verdict that declared Ishraque as mayor and the Election Commission鈥檚 decision not to appeal.聽
On March 27 this year, Dhaka鈥檚 First Joint District and Election Tribunal judge Md Nurul Islam declared Ishraq Hossain as the rightful mayor, annulling the results of the 2020 Dhaka South City Corporation elections that declared Fazle Noor Taposh as the winner.
On April 27, the EC issued a gazette declaring Ishraq as the DSCC mayor.
