Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Ishraque Hossain on Sunday announced that Nagar Bhaban, the headquarters of Dhaka South City Corporation, would remain closed until he was sworn in as the Dhaka south mayor.
He made the announcement while joining a protest rally and sit-in at Nagar Bhaban by his supporters, who have been keeping the Nagar Bhaban building locked since May 15 demanding his swearing-in as mayor.聽聽
鈥楴agar Bhaban will remain closed and the sit-in programme will continue non-stop until the government administers the oath,鈥� he said.
He, however, said that essential services like birth and death registration would continue under their supervision, but they would not allow development works to progress, nor would let the officials involved in those activities enter their offices.
When asked when and how they would start carrying out essential services, Ishraque replied, 鈥業mmediately,鈥� and added that booths would be set up at DSCC zonal offices to facilitate these services.
Following the announcement, Ishraque held a meeting with several city corporation officials in the Shitalakkhya conference room of Nagar Bhaban to discuss how to continue essential civic services, according to individuals present at the meeting.
Meanwhile, city dwellers continue to suffer amid the suspension of services. Jannatul Bushra, a resident of Bangsal, has been shuttling between the zonal office concerned and Nagar Bhaban for a month as she is desperately trying to obtain a family certificate required for her visa to pursue higher studies in Italy.
鈥業 have to submit the certificate to the embassy by the end of June. I don鈥檛 know whether I鈥檒l be able to obtain it if this situation continues,鈥� said Bushra.
After the 10-day Eid holiday, Ishraque supporters resumed the protest and sit-in programme on Sunday, which Ishraque paused on June 3 ahead of the holiday.
After the fall of the Awami League regime on August 5, 2024, the interim government declared the DSCC mayoral office vacant on August 19.
Later on, the Election Commission issued a gazette declaring Ishraque as the DSCC mayor on April 27 this year, replacing Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, one month after the March 27 verdict of the Election Tribunal announcing him the mayor.聽
The EC gazette declaring Ishraque mayor, however, was challenged by Supreme Court lawyer Mamunur Rashid, also a DSCC resident, who filed a writ against the notification on May 14, triggering protest erupting at Nagar Bhaban on the same day.聽
On May 22, the High Court dismissed the writ on the grounds that the petitioner did not have the jurisdiction to file such a plea since he was not a candidate in the 2020 election.
The petitioner then filed an appeal in the Appellate Division against the High Court order on May 26, which the Appellate Division disposed of on May 29.
The Appellate Division left the matter to the Election Commission, reaffirming that the commission must discharge its constitutional responsibility independently and in accordance with law.
On June 4, the EC said that its responsibility ended with the issuance of the gazette and it now lay with the Local Government Division to take the next step as the Appellate Division did not cancel the gazette notification.聽
According to the Local Government (City Corporation) Act 2009, a mayor鈥檚 five-year term begins from the date of the city corporation鈥檚 first general meeting.聽 Taposh addressed his first board meeting on June 2, 2020.