Can Dhaka Mayors redeem pre-poll pledges?

Early this week, a pedestrian confronted riders of three motor cycles on busy footpaths on Toynbee Circular Road just north of the Secretariat and asked them: "Won't you allow us to use footpaths?"
Pat came the reply from one of the three riders: "Ask the hawkers about it first."
The commuter was seen embarrassed because four hawkers were occupying most of the footpath at that time making it clogged for any movement by walkers.
The nagging problem was highlighted by the two elected Mayors of the Dhaka North City Corporation and the Dhaka South City Corporation during their pre-poll campaigns. The Dhakaites were enthused when both of them set deadlines for evicting the hawkers.
But then the citizens' hopes were suddenly dashed to the ground when reports came in that the hawkers reoccupied the footpaths in Gulistan just one hour after they were evicted. Where were the police personnel?  
The same is the case with digging of roads in two parts of Dhaka city. The WASA workers are daily cutting the well-metalled roads here and there. But after they complete the works, potholes creep in, making lives of common citizens hellish as rain waters stored in holes are enough to create a nightmare for them.
A WASA contractor, when asked, said it is the duty of the DCCs to repaire the roads as the Sewerage Authority has already paid the required money to the city corporations to do the repairing jobs. But there is still none from the city corporations to have the seriously damaged roads rebuilt.
It is the responsibility of the two city corporations to restore order and discipline by relocating residential areas, shopping centres, educational institutions and gas and petrol filling stations in the capital as per needs.
As the two Mayors were elected on being supported by the ruling Awami League, it should not be difficult for them to get full cooperation of the government in accomplishing their tasks to erase the image of Dhaka as one of the worst mega cities in the world.
How could a very useful petrol and gas filling station just east to the Alliance Francaise office at the mouth of Green Road and Mirpur Road be turned into a commercial office of a business house? We all know that all the lands where filling stations are located are leased out by the government. But how could a businessman buy that prime land to make his office is not really understandable. The petrol and gas filling station was once strategically located as there is no such station in the entire area. Cars and buses from all sides could use the filling station.
For Mayors to redeem their pre-poll pledges, the government should ensure that organisations providing services like city planning and control, housing and infrastructure, water supply, transport and waste, disaster and financial management, ensuring a healthy environment, education and health, and promoting culture and tradition work under guidelines from the elected city Mayors.
The Mayors should take steps to preserve and develop open spaces and parks, significantly improve waste management, build a safe city, develop surface drains, reduce water-logging and improve the communications sector. While Dhaka is branded one of the world's least liveable cities, it is also a unique city of emotional bonding among its dwellers, memories, cultural heritage, and political history.  
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