Ctg mayor pleads for city government

Newly-elected Chitta-gong City Corporation (CCC) mayor AJM Nasir Uddin highlighted on Tuesday the urgency for introducing a city government in the metropolis for better civic amenities and acceleration of development work.
"Although 20 years have elapsed, the Chittagong city authorities could not implement the recommendations under its master plan mainly due to lack of coordination among various government bodies and service-providing agencies," said the mayor.
To resolve this problem, the Chittagong mayor stressed the need for introducing the new government system in city corporations.
He was speaking at a Meet-the-Press programme at the National Press Club on Tuesday.
He also drew the Prime Minister's attention in this regard.
"I will request the prime minister for giving necessary directives to launch the system when I meet her next time," said Mr Nasir, also the general secretary of the Awami League's Chittagong city unit.
He also pledged to rid the city residents of the perennial water-logging problem and waste management mess. He vowed to free the city from illegal billboards and turn it into a green and clean city by restoring canals and drains.
To save the port city from high tidal flooding, he also sought cooperation from the Prime Minister for building dams, construction of a sluice gate and setting up pump stations.
"A large number of canals and tributaries in the city and smaller canals have disappeared over the decades as influential people grabbed them and built makeshift or permanent structures," said the mayor.
As a result, with the advent of rainy season, water stagnation in Chittagong city takes a severe turn every year. Even a little rain inundates the low-lying areas of the city.
The successive mayors of the port city pledged to rid the city residents of the perennial water-logging problem. However, the problem remained where it had been. The mayor said his first priority is to mitigate water-logging in the port city by implementing the Drainage Master Plan of 1995.
He said the CCC was working to intensify coordination among different government institutions like Wasa and Chittagong Development Authority (CDA). "The World Bank is also working to make the drainage and sewerage system more effective," said the mayor at the press meet organised by the Chittagong Journalists Forum, Dhaka (CJFD). CJFD President Sayeed Islam Dilal presided over the programme.
Reiterating his vow to make Chittagong City Corporation free from corruption, the mayor said, "None of the city corporation officials will be spared, if anyone is found engaged in corruption."
He pointed out that influential persons kept most of the canals occupied in the city. "All the occupied water bodies will be freed from illegal grabbers," said the mayor.
To restore the natural beauty of the city, Mr Nasir said he declared to remove all illegal billboards from the roadsides. At present, there are about 7,000 billboards in the city.
To rid the city dwellers of sufferings due to poor garbage and sewerage management, which is slowly turning the city into an unliveable place, the city corporation plans to collect the rubbish during the night. The new system will be introduced from September 1, 2015.
According to the mayor, around 1,500 tonnes of garbage are disposed of every day.
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