With a banner carrying words ‘honourable mayor’ on it, Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Ishraque Hossain on Monday held a meeting with the Dhaka South City Corporation’s waste management staff at the DSCC headquarters Nagar Bhaban.
A banner hung at the venue with writing on it ‘Views-exchange meeting with officials and employees of the waste management department to ensure cleanliness of Dhaka and civic services’ addressed Ishraque as ‘Manoniyo Mayor’ (honourable mayor), although he has not been sworn yet as the South city mayor.
After the meeting, Ishraque, responding to a question at a press briefing, said that the organisers of the meeting might well address him as ‘mayor’ in the banner since the Election Commission had already issued a gazette declaring him as the DSCC mayor.
He was invited at the meeting by DSCC Karmachari Union (DSCC employees union), he added.
He said that conservancy inspectors from more than 70 wards were present at the meeting, and he assured them to address their problems in the future.
The BNP leader said that he instructed them to coordinate with those involved in mosquito control activities so that stagnant water did not cause an increase in the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes.
As part of increasing efforts to control the dengue menace, Ishraque further said he would hold a meeting with ward secretaries on Tuesday, followed by another meeting with officials and employees of the city corporation’s health department tomorrow.Â
He said that during the ongoing protest movement, civic services, including applications for birth and death certificates, legal heir certificates, and citizenship certificates, would be handled by ward secretaries at the ward offices.
Addressing another media query, Ishraque said, ‘from the moment the Appellate Division disposed of the writ petition challenging my mayoral gazette, the current administrator became illegitimate.’
He added that he was elected by the people’s vote and had established his rightful position through legal and judicial means.
He alleged that the South city administrator was appointed illegally, mentioning that the Anti-Corruption Commission was currently investigating corruption allegations against the personal assistant of the local government, rural development and co-operatives adviser involving over Tk 300 crore.
‘Those who carried out such activities are the ones acting illegally, I am not,’ he said.Â
Earlier on Sunday, Ishraque announced that Nagar Bhaban would remain closed until he was sworn in as the Dhaka south mayor.
The sit-in programme, which Ishraque supporters began at Nagar Bhaban on May 15 pressing for his swearing-in, was also continued on Monday. Since that day civic services at Nagar Bhaban and other zonal offices have also remained halted.
The EC on April 27 this year issued a gazette declaring Ishraque as the DSCC mayor after the Election Tribunal announced him mayor on March 27.
But the EC gazette was challenged by Supreme Court lawyer Mamunur Rashid, who filed a writ against the notification on May 14. Â
Later, the court cleared the way for his mayoral oath, but the Local Government Division has yet to take any steps in this regard.
After the fall of the Awami League regime on August 5, 2024, the interim government declared the DSCC mayoral office vacant on August 19.
