People suffer for disruption to KCC services

OUR CORRESPONDENT

KHULNA, Aug 17: The people of the Khulna City Corporation (KCC) are suffering much as most ward commissioner offices have been vandalised during the anti-quota student movement.

Valuables, including chairs, tables, doors and windows, of the offices of ward 6, 8, 9, 13, 15, 18, 21 and 25 commissioners have been damaged by miscreants.

Some goods of these ward offices have also been looted. For this reason, city dwellers are suffering due to the disruption to services.

A total of 20 ward offices in the KCC were not usable even for last few days due to the public outrage. Officials are unable to provide services due to burning and looting of important goods.

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government, the office of 20 ward councillors of the city was attacked and vandalised on August 5, 6 and 7. Offices of ward 17 and 28 have been burnt after vandalism.

Fire was set to a room of ward no. 29. Office tables, chairs, files, important papers and computers were burnt in the fire.

Various services, including citizenship certificate, birth registration, death registration, certificate, landless certificate, old-age allowance, pregnancy allowance is provided from the ward office.

According to sources, the KCC has its own building in 25 out of 31 wards of the city. Apart from this, offices are being run in rented buildings in six wards.

Ten offices of women councillors of reserved wards in their own houses or rented buildings. 15 private buildings and five rented houses were damaged in the attack.

Local sources said that most of 31 general councillors of KCC have returned to the area. But, they are not coming to the office as most of the offices are not usable.

Many people are not going to the office due to the fear of harassment.

KCC Mayor Talukdar Abdul Khalek has also not visited Nagar Bhaban since August 05.

According to the source, two KCC teams visited 31 wards last week. They collected the list of affected offices.

Abdul Hamid Khan, secretary of ward no 17 of the KCC, said the burnt ward office has been cleaned.

But, due to the burning of papers, files and laptops, services cannot be provided to the common people. The matter has been informed in writing to the high officials of KCC.

In this regard, KCC chief executive officer Laskar Tajul Islam said that information about the damage to the ward offices has been collected.

For the time being, instructions have been given so that offices can be used and people are not deprived of services.

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