Gazipur City Corporation should remove ‘acting’ mayor
Since its formation in 2013, Gazipur City Corporation has had faced a relentless crisis of a mayor. Almost 3 years of the last 10 years have passed without a mayor. BNP’s Abdul Mannan, the first elected mayor in 2013, had to remain off duty for 23 months due to harassment cases. He also had to go to jail in case over trivial matter.
Awami League's mayor Jahangir Alam elected in 2018 was no exception. While he was the mayor of Gazipur City Corporation last year, a video of his controversial comments on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Liberation War went viral on social media.
He was expelled from the party following that on 19 November last year. Then on 25 November, he was temporarily suspended from the post of mayor by the Ministry of Local Government. There are also cases against him of misappropriation of resources, money and abuse of power. Since then, panel mayor Asadur Rahman alias Kiran has been serving as acting mayor. The term of the City Corporation will expire in July next year.
Around 3 million people live in Gazipur with an area of 329.90 square kilometers. Local residents complain that even after almost 10 years of the formation of the city corporation, the civic amenities did not improve. The major problems of Gazipur are potholes, waterlogging and unplanned urbanisation. Various roads including Pubail, Konabari-Kashimpur, Tongi Arichpur, Boubazar go under water even in light rain. In the new areas that have been added to the city corporation, there are hardly any civic amenities.
Most of the development projects undertaken by former mayor Jahangir Alam, including road widening, have stopped due to various complications. He is also alleged to have evicted many houses in the name of road widening. After 9 months of dismissal, Jahangir Alam filed a petition in the High Court to regain the post of mayor on 14 August.
The court has issued rulings to the concerned persons in this regard. On the other hand, the investigation of the cases of corruption against him has not been completed. The process of trial of the case cannot be started due to that.
In this situation, the people of Gazipur are deeply concerned about the problems of the city. Gazipur stands right after the two city corporations of Dhaka and Chattogram city corporation. For how long the country’s fourth largest city corporation will remain without a mayor?
Government is depriving residents of Gazipur City Corporation of civic benefits by prolonging the legal process. The mayor’s post is vacant indefinitely in the city corporation due to legal infirmities.
Why will Gazipur people be deprived of elected representatives? If Jahangir Alam is a criminal in the eyes of the law, he should be removed and an arrangement of new elections must be made. The latest Zilla Parishad Act provides for fresh elections within six months of vacancies. It is expected to have the same provision in the case of city corporations and other local government bodies.
Gazipur, an industrial city of 3 million people, cannot remain without guardians. It can’t go on for months with an acting mayor.
Gazipur City Corporation should be free of burden by removing the legal complications immediately.