THE prolonged delay in resolving the crisis that has gripped the Dhaka South City Corporation and disrupted public services is unacceptable. While the government is largely responsible for the crisis with its differentiated response to court verdicts, Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Ishraque Hossain, declared the DSCC mayor by a controversial Election Commission tribunal verdict on March 27 and followed by an Election Commission notification on April 27, is also responsible for the crisis. The BNP leader also appears to have self-assumed the role of the mayor and is reported to have held meetings with ward secretaries, administrative officers and conservancy department staff at Nagar Bhaban on June 16 and 17. He has also warned of taking to the streets if he is not sworn in as mayor. His intransigence is troubling given that the legal tenure of the mayor has already expired. Supporters of the leader, including groups of DSCC employees, have, meanwhile, shut and disrupted operations at the corporation headquarters, Nagar Bhaban, and at zonal offices since May 15, demanding that the BNP leader be sworn in as mayor.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party鈥檚 silence on the issue is equally troubling and makes it party to the crisis. The party has not yet clarified its stance on the issue. It has neither taken steps to restrain its leader and his supporters from interfering with essential civic services. With the mayoral term having officially expired on June 2, it was expected that the political parties and prospective candidates would instead call for fresh elections and rely on the electorate to choose their representatives. The BNP, therefore, should shoulder the responsibility, act responsibly and discipline its party ranks. The government, too, needs to explain its position, particularly in the light of its apparent inconsistency in responding to similar electoral verdicts. While it has cited, unconvincingly though, legal constraints in the DSCC case, it had no hesitation in swearing in a BNP leader as mayor of the Chattogram City Corporation keeping to an Election Commission tribunal ruling in November 2024. Additionally, the appointment of a private organisation鈥檚 chair as Dhaka North City Corporation mayor in February drew criticism from many quarters. The ongoing administrative paralysis, meanwhile, continues to burden Dhaka residents, denying them access to essential services. The suspension of other vital services, especially those related to dengue prevention, also presents an increasingly serious public health risk.
The government should, therefore, act decisively to resolve the crisis. At the same time, the BNP should restrain its leader and supporters to ensure residents鈥� uninterrupted access to public services and prevent further deterioration in civic governance in the capital.
