DNCC Mayor Atiqul frustrated by citizens littering cleaned spaces with trash

Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam has expressed his frustration with citizens littering the city with trash immediately after roads and other spaces are cleaned by the authority as part of its drive to exterminate the dengue-carrying Aedes mosquito.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 26 August 2019, 11:54 AM
Updated : 26 August 2019, 02:21 PM

DNCC will have no option but to take legal steps under the penal law to ensure cleanliness in the city, the mayor warned.

He urged the people from all walks of life to come forward and clean their respective neighbourhoods.

The outbreak of dengue this year has broken all previous records in terms of the rate of hospitalisation for the disease across the country. Experts have stressed the need for cleanliness to combat the disease.

The city corporation is using insecticide as well as raiding households to find Aedes larvae while DNCC staffers have been cleaning streets and alleys.

Mayor Atiqul has now threatened legal action aside from the imposition of fines on those who fail to keep their residence and office space clean.

“We already said that we’ll adopt the penal code against those who impede the government's work. Please do not compel us to do so. Streets are filled with garbage right after our staff are finished cleaning, be it from a shop or a residence,” the mayor told reporters during the ‘combing operation’ against dengue at Mohammadpur on Monday.

“It is not only the responsibility of the government but also the people to keep the city clean. You should clean your own house,” said Mayor Atiqul.

“We are gradually flagging places like dumping grounds for police, areas surrounding schools, colleges, metro rail construction points or government offices which need to be cleaned. The concerned authorities should take charge of cleaning their surroundings.”

“Everyone should perform their duties. We, the city corporation are performing ours,” he said.

The mayor also solicited the support of residents to clear out the piles of garbage gathered in the gaps between two houses.

“Why do we need to throw garbage in the space between two buildings? This city belongs to all of us. I would request you all to remove the garbage from those places. The city corporation will do it initially, but the neighbours and the neighbourhood management groups should clean it thereafter.”

Atiqul also expressed his interest to meet neighbourhood management groups in order to find a permanent solution to the problem of garbage dumping in the empty spaces between two buildings.

Aedes larvae were found in 252 households during the drive on Sunday, said the mayor.

“We targeted 10,000 households as part of our combing operation and we managed to visit 9,700 of those. We found Aedes larvae in 252 of them,” he said.

The operation will continue for the next 20 days, said the DNCC mayor.

“I have asked the authorities to appoint more magistrates. We won’t slap a fine on the households initially but offices and other organisations will be penalised.”