Don’t split Dhaka, Khoka urges govt
Dhaka, Nov 26 (UNB) - Dhaka City Corporation Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka on Saturday urged the government to immediately hold the corporation election without splitting it and said he would not contest the polls.
“It’s my only plea…don’t split Dhaka and hold the corporation polls, I won’t contest it,” Khoka told a crowded press conference at National Press Club terming the move to divide Dhaka unfortunate.
Dhaka metropolitan BNP leaders and a number of DCC councilors were present at the press conference.
Khoka said despite objection by the elected representatives and civil society members, the government has taken the ‘suicidal decision’ to split Dhaka with a political motive.
“Since the government doesn’t have any suitable candidate to defeat the current mayor, it has taken this move,” Khoka said adding that the government got scared seeing the popularity of the present mayor and is trying to appoint an administrator to run the corporation.
“If the government ultimately splits Dhaka ignoring the public demand, BNP will reunify it when it’ll return to power,” Khoka told journalists.
The BNP vice chairman, who has been the DCC mayor for the last nine years, said he would step down from his mayoral post soon after the announcement of the election schedule for the undivided DCC polls.
On October 17, the government at a weekly cabinet meeting decided to split DCC into two by amending the Local Government (City Corporation) Act 2009 aiming to provide better services to city dwellers, and hold the overdue DCC polls.
Following the decision, the DCC ward councillors vented their angers, strongly opposed the move to split the DCC into two and said it would create legal complications, conflict and discrimination between the two parts.
Later, on November 23, State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Jahangir Kabir Nanak placed a bill in parliament on behalf of LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam seeking necessary amendments to the act to split Dhaka.
In absence of the BNP-led opposition lawmakers, only independent MP adv Fazlul Azim opposed the bill before it was placed, saying it will not be correct to divide the DCC on political grounds.
The state minister dismissed Azim's arguments and defended the bill. The House rejected the objection in a voice vote and the bill was placed.
The bill was sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on LGRD and Cooperatives Ministry for scrutiny and placing a report in parliament within seven days.
The bill might be passed in the current session which is likely to be prorogued on November 28.
Polls in the new corporations will have to be held within the next six months as per the provisions of the Local Government (City Corporation) Act, 2009.
A new Election Commission will conduct the polls as the present EC’s tenure ends in February next year.
The bill also proposed to change the present legal framework for deployment of the army, air force and navy in the city corporation polls with a sweeping authority.
The 150-sqkm mega city has 92 wards. The proposal envisages that DCC North will get 36 wards (1-23, 37-47, 54 and 55), while DCC South will have 56 wards (24-36, 48-53 and 56-92).
Under the plan, Uttara, Gulshan, Badda, Mohakhali, East Rampura, Tejgaon, Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Pallabi and Kafrul fall in the North while Dhanmondi, Ramna, Motijheel, Sabujbagh, Demra, Khilgaon, Sutrapur, Kotwali and Lalbagh in the South.
If the bill goes through Parliament, the current DCC will be dissolved instantly and the corporation will be split into two -- DCC North and DCC South -- and mayor Khoka and all of its councillors elected in 2002 will no longer be able to remain in offices.
An administrator will be appointed for each of the two new corporations to run the activities until those are constituted through elections, according to the provisions of the bill.
Polls could not be held in 2007 due to a state of emergency and an incomplete voter list.
The Dhaka municipality was founded on August 1, 1864 and upgraded to corporation status in 1978. The Dhaka City Corporation is a self-governing corporation which runs the affairs of the city.
“It’s my only plea…don’t split Dhaka and hold the corporation polls, I won’t contest it,” Khoka told a crowded press conference at National Press Club terming the move to divide Dhaka unfortunate.
Dhaka metropolitan BNP leaders and a number of DCC councilors were present at the press conference.
Khoka said despite objection by the elected representatives and civil society members, the government has taken the ‘suicidal decision’ to split Dhaka with a political motive.
“Since the government doesn’t have any suitable candidate to defeat the current mayor, it has taken this move,” Khoka said adding that the government got scared seeing the popularity of the present mayor and is trying to appoint an administrator to run the corporation.
“If the government ultimately splits Dhaka ignoring the public demand, BNP will reunify it when it’ll return to power,” Khoka told journalists.
The BNP vice chairman, who has been the DCC mayor for the last nine years, said he would step down from his mayoral post soon after the announcement of the election schedule for the undivided DCC polls.
On October 17, the government at a weekly cabinet meeting decided to split DCC into two by amending the Local Government (City Corporation) Act 2009 aiming to provide better services to city dwellers, and hold the overdue DCC polls.
Following the decision, the DCC ward councillors vented their angers, strongly opposed the move to split the DCC into two and said it would create legal complications, conflict and discrimination between the two parts.
Later, on November 23, State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Jahangir Kabir Nanak placed a bill in parliament on behalf of LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam seeking necessary amendments to the act to split Dhaka.
In absence of the BNP-led opposition lawmakers, only independent MP adv Fazlul Azim opposed the bill before it was placed, saying it will not be correct to divide the DCC on political grounds.
The state minister dismissed Azim's arguments and defended the bill. The House rejected the objection in a voice vote and the bill was placed.
The bill was sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on LGRD and Cooperatives Ministry for scrutiny and placing a report in parliament within seven days.
The bill might be passed in the current session which is likely to be prorogued on November 28.
Polls in the new corporations will have to be held within the next six months as per the provisions of the Local Government (City Corporation) Act, 2009.
A new Election Commission will conduct the polls as the present EC’s tenure ends in February next year.
The bill also proposed to change the present legal framework for deployment of the army, air force and navy in the city corporation polls with a sweeping authority.
The 150-sqkm mega city has 92 wards. The proposal envisages that DCC North will get 36 wards (1-23, 37-47, 54 and 55), while DCC South will have 56 wards (24-36, 48-53 and 56-92).
Under the plan, Uttara, Gulshan, Badda, Mohakhali, East Rampura, Tejgaon, Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Pallabi and Kafrul fall in the North while Dhanmondi, Ramna, Motijheel, Sabujbagh, Demra, Khilgaon, Sutrapur, Kotwali and Lalbagh in the South.
If the bill goes through Parliament, the current DCC will be dissolved instantly and the corporation will be split into two -- DCC North and DCC South -- and mayor Khoka and all of its councillors elected in 2002 will no longer be able to remain in offices.
An administrator will be appointed for each of the two new corporations to run the activities until those are constituted through elections, according to the provisions of the bill.
Polls could not be held in 2007 due to a state of emergency and an incomplete voter list.
The Dhaka municipality was founded on August 1, 1864 and upgraded to corporation status in 1978. The Dhaka City Corporation is a self-governing corporation which runs the affairs of the city.
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