Officials fear Dhaka South services may collapse again as Ishraque declares he'll manage operations

Dhaka South City Corporation's services may collapse again following BNP leader Ishraque Hossain's announcement of his intention to take over management of public service delivery under his leadership, officials familiar have said.

Speaking to The Business Standard today (16 June), several Dhaka South officials expressed concern that with the Nagar Bhaban effectively locked down and services being operated through employees loyal to Ishraque, city corporation employees are increasingly distancing themselves from the usual administrative functions.

Amid these circumstances, Ishraque's announcement is likely to fuel the collapse of services.

"For the past month, mosquito eradication programmes are being carried out in various ways. However, the employees are not working regularly. Today, mosquito control programmes were conducted in 48 out of 75 wards of Dhaka South. This situation may worsen in the future," an official involved in the mosquito eradication programme of Dhaka South told TBS on condition of anonymity.

"It may even be that no one goes to work in most of the wards. Because without monitoring, the work will not be done smoothly," added the official.

A leader of one of the Dhaka South workers' associations also expressed discontent with the current state of affairs.

"We have always supported Ishraque Hossain's claim to the mayoral post. But what is happening now is unacceptable. Citizens should not be made to suffer due to political power struggles," the labour leader said.

"If officials are not present in the field, it is only natural that workers won't show up either. Even with proper monitoring, it's hard to ensure attendance—thinking everyone will work just because one person asks them to is naive," he added.

In the wake of the latest developments, Dhaka South Administrator Md Shahjahan Mia said he will step down if the government asks him to.

"I am a government official appointed by the state. As long as I am given this responsibility, I will serve as the administrator. But if I am no longer allowed to operate from the office, then keeping the departments functional becomes impossible," he told TBS.

"If the government decides not to retain me, I will step down. This decision lies entirely with the government," he said. 

He added, "The government will determine who will carry out the duties of the mayor. I have no comments on that matter."

When asked how the Dhaka South's activities will proceed under the current circumstances, the administrator said, "Over the past month, we have made various efforts to keep civic services running. But if officials cannot access Nagar Bhaban and Ishraque's supporters attempt to operate the corporation independently, it will no longer be possible for us to function. This will significantly disrupt city services."

What Ishraque said

Earlier today, BNP leader Ishraque Hossain, who has not yet been officially sworn in as mayor, held a view-exchange meeting with waste management officials and staff of the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), presenting himself as the Dhaka South "mayor."

The meeting, held inside Nagar Bhaban – currently under lockdown by Ishraque's supporters and a section of the city corporation employees – featured a banner introducing Ishraque as "manoniyo mayor" (honourable mayor) and chief guest of the programme. 

It was organised by Dhaka South's waste management department, according to employees present at the meeting.

At the meeting, Ishraque said, "It is not about me – it is the people's demand. Whenever I'm invited to an event, organisers write mayor before my name. This is now established through the highest court of the country. 

"Those questioning it should educate themselves further. The Election Commission has published a gazette clearly declaring me as the mayor of Dhaka South."

Following the meeting, Ishraque addressed a press conference where he emphasised the urgency of mosquito control in light of rising dengue cases. 

"You all are aware that dengue has been spreading over the past few days. That's why we are working to speed up and sustain the mosquito control programme undertaken by the city corporation to keep Dhaka safe in the coming days," he told reporters.

"To ensure this programme continues uninterrupted, we are holding meetings with employees from different departments. Eventually, we will sit with staff from all departments of Dhaka South City Corporation," he added.

He further said meetings would soon be held with all ward secretaries and that ward offices could process essential civic documents such as birth and death certificates, inheritance papers, and citizenship certificates.

A meeting with more than 70 ward secretaries is scheduled for tomorrow.

Ishraque also announced plans to meet with health officials within the next two days and clarified that despite resuming some civic services, their protest would not end.

"The gate of Nagar Bhaban will remain locked," he said, describing the padlock as a "symbol of the movement." 

He once again urged the chief adviser to intervene and allow him to be sworn in. Without such intervention, he warned, the sit-in would continue indefinitely.

"Despite our ongoing movement, no one from the government has reached out. Not once, not even till now, has there been any attempt at discussion," he said.

Ishraque also accused the government of running a "parallel administration" at DSCC in violation of the Supreme Court ruling. 

"When the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court dismissed the writ petition challenging the mayoral gazette, from that moment the DSCC administrator became illegal. Despite that, they were running a parallel administration and got involved in corruption," he said.

Ishraque further said, "You all know that based on the verdict of the Supreme Court, I have been declared the current mayor of DSCC. But the government has not made any decision to formally appoint me to the position."

"That's why we announced a continuous sit-in programme on Sunday," he added. 

"However, throughout our long-running movement, we have always kept public services in mind. Emergency services continued during our protests, and we ensured that. We've made it clear that our movement must not increase public suffering," he further said.