Employees protest move to split DCC

Police intercept Dhaka City Corporation officers and staff as they tried to form a human chain in front of Nagar Bhaban on Sunday, protesting the government?s latest move to chop Dhaka into two administrative areas. sun photoAt least 25 people were injured in a clash with police as employees of the Dhaka City Corporation protested the government move to split the local government body.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, however, the same day justified the government initiative to split DCC saying that the decision is aimed at ensuring better services to the citizens of Dhaka.

The proposed bill is likely to be passed in the on-going parliament session.

Witnesses said police intercepted DCC employees and assaulted them when the protestors brought out a procession under the banner of DCC Officials and Workers Oikya Parishad at 11:00am in front of Nagar Bhaban. Police charged batons on the demonstrators and dispersed them.

Traffic on the road in front of Nagar Bhaban came to a halt as the agitated employees clashed with law enforcers. The clash continued for about 20 minutes when the entrance to Nagar Bhaban remained closed.

Eight of the injured people were said to be policemen and the rest DCC employees.

The DCC officials and employees observed three-hour pen down strike and joined a scheduled human chain programme to protest the government decision to split the city corporation.

Abdul Latif, member secretary of Oikya Parishad, alleged that a group of Awami League supporters hurled brickbats at them from nearby Usmani Uddyan when they were forming a human chain in front of the DCC Bhaban.

?As we went ahead, police in riot gear swooped on us and started charging batons indiscriminately,? he said.

SM Mosharraf Hossain, a union leader of DCC, said police attacked a peaceful procession when it was entering the DCC Bhaban.

However, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Ramna Zone Krishnapado Roy told the journalists that police had to take action against the agitating people as they were demonstrating by blocking the nearby busy road.

The incident happened only a day after City Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka urged the government not to divide the DCC. He also told the media that none of the public representatives and representative bodies demanded bifurcation of DCC.

?It is not true that we are dividing Dhaka, it will remain in its original shape. But we are going to constitute two city corporations with the expanded areas of Dhaka city,? Hasina said while addressing the oath- taking ceremony of the mayor and councillors of Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) at her office, reports BSS.

Hasina also said a bill to split DCC has been placed in the current session of parliament as the city has now been expanded up to Narayanganj in the southeast and Tongi in the north.

She said the number of city dwellers is increasing day by day and it is quite impossible to extend services to people from one point.

?With the rising number of population, the government has divided the police administration into eight zones to ensure proper service,? she added.

The prime minister said her government wants to strengthen the local government bodies to decentralise power. ?We are working relentlessly for the welfare of the people,? she said.

The government on Wednesday proposed a bill to divide DCC and create two city authorities ? Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation.

The proposed DCC bifurcation law, set to be passed in the current session of parliament, will authorise the government to appoint political leaders as administrators to the planned city corporations.

The parliamentary standing committee on local government ministry on Sunday finalised its recommendations on the Dhaka City Corporation division bill tabled in parliament on November 23 with minor changes.

The parliamentary watchdog, however, stipulated that the administrators in the proposed Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka City South City Corporation must not stay in office for more than 90 days.

Again, the standing committee also recommended that the elections to the proposed city corporations must take place in 180 days since the passage of the Dhaka City Corporation division bill.

State Minister for Local Government Jahangir Kabir Nanak tabled the Local Government (City Corporation) (Amendment) Bill-2011 for dividing Dhaka City Corporation into two local bodies in the city of 100,000 million people.

?The bill proposed appointment of first class public servants as the administrators to the city corporations. But we have cut the word ?first class? from the paragraph,? Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury, a committee member, told daily sun after the meeting at the parliament building.

?Our recommendation will authorise the government to appoint any high ranking public servants or any competent people as the administrators to the proposed city corporations until the elections take place,? said Alam who presided over the meeting in absence of Rahmat Ali.

?The administrators may even be the political figures,? he said.

Alam, a nephew of Hasina and whip in parliament, trashed the allegations saying an administrator will only be appointed for one term: only 90 days.

?If an administrator cannot hold elections in 90 days, the government will appoint another administrator. But the elections must take place in 180 days for newly created city corporations,? he said.

?Inshallah, the bill will be passed in the current session of parliament,? said Alam.

Local Government Minister Syed Ashraful Islam and his deputy Nanak also attended the meeting.

Source: daily-sun.com

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