Mayor vs UNO: Garbage piles up on the streets of Barishal

Garbage piled up on the streets with no cleaners around as an uneasy calm prevailed in the city on Friday, two days after clashes broke out between supporters of the mayor and law enforcers leaving dozens of people injured.

On Friday, the weekend morning walkers were greeted with heaps of rotting and stinking garbage on streets across the city. Two large piles were found even on Dhaka-Barishal highway disrupting traffic.

The city dwellers have been facing this situation for the past two days as the city corporation's cleaners went on an unannounced strike from work.

It is being seen as a fall-out of the violence on Wednesday night when dozens of activists from the AL and Bangladesh Chhatra League stormed into the residence of Sadar upazila nirbahi officer in a dispute over the removal of some banners from his office premises.

Tension mounted after the UNO and police filed two cases against 94 people in which city mayor Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah was named as the prime accused for the violence.

Meanwhile, the city residents suffer.

Basinda Fazle Swapan of Barishal Central Bus Terminal in Nathullabad area said that garbage remained dumped in the streets for the last two days.  On normal times the garbage would have been cleared every night but city corporation's cleaners have stopped work after since the clashes.

The transport workers, including supporters of the mayor, activists of Chhatra League and Jubo League, blocked the Dhaka-Barishal highway with buses in Rupatoli and Nathullabad Bus Terminal areas in the small hours of Wednesday.

The dumped garbage has not been cleaned from the streets since that night.

CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver Rubel said that from Kashipur to Amtala junction, he saw garbage  dumped in the middle of the road and in front of the UNO office. "We are also having troubles in driving," he added

Mahfuz of BM College Road area said that the garbage has remained piled up in the area for two days. The air here is filled with foul smell and the garbage piles also disrupt movement of vehicles through the area.  

Meanwhile, volunteers who normally help Covid jab seekers, moved out of 24 vaccination centres in the Barishal City Corporation area on Thursday.  

UNB correspondent's phone calls and SMS to Barishal City Corporation Chief Executive Officer Syed Farooq Hossain and Chief Cleaning Officer Dr. Rabiul Islam went unanswered.