Dhaka, Nov 27 (bdnews24.com)—–Amidst clash between employees and police over the planned Dhaka City Corporation split, prime minister Sheikh Hasina has defended the move, saying it will ensure better services to the residents.
"As a matter of fact, the Dhaka city was up to Dhaka Gate and Bangla Academy. Now it has spread to Uttara. Gulshan was only a village. The population of the city is growing fast. We have to ensure civic facilities for all people, which is why we are making two city corporations," she said.
Hasina made the remarks as she administered oath to office of Narayanganj City Corporation mayor Selina Hayat Ivy at her office. LGRD minister Syed Ashraful Islam administered the oath to the newly elected councillors.
The prime minister explained that the old Dhaka city will form one part and the new Dhaka will be in the other part and added that a bill has been placed in parliament.
Angry DCC employees opposed to the plan clashed with police in the morning, leaving at least 25 people injured, in front of the Nagar Bhaban, the corporation headquarters. At least eight policemen are among the injured, police say.
The government last week placed the bill to split the city council in DCC North with 36 wards and DCC South having 56 wards. A member of the parliamentary standing committee on local government ministry said they have finalised proposals on the bill and it will be passed in the current session.
DCC North will have Uttara, Gulshan, Badda, Mohakhali, East Rampura, Tejgaon, Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Pallabi and Kafrul. Dhanmondi, Ramna, Motijheel, Sabujbagh, Demra, Khilgaon, Sutrapur, Kotwali and Lalbagh will form the DCC South.
The city has spread as far as Narayanganj in the southeast and up to Tongi in the north with the number of city dwellers increasing by the day, which makes it quite impossible to serve the people from a single point, she added.
She pointed out that it was for this reason that the government divided the police administration in eight zones to guarantee proper service.
Hasina said her government wanted to spread out the local government for ensuring 'real development of the people'.
She asked the new Narayanganj mayor and councillors to live up to the expectations of the Narayanganj people and promised cooperation to help the port city regain its old glory.
Ivy later told reporters that she will work for the people and said the prime minister had assured her for all cooperation.
bdnews24.com/sum/bd/1745h
