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Published : 22 May 2025, 03:34 AM
Mahbub Israil, a resident of Amligola in Dhaka’s Lalbagh, spotted an error in his grandson’s birth certificate.
He has already completed the correction using the official form, but cannot submit it to the regional office of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
“I have gone three times. They turned me away, saying there is some unrest at Nagar Bhaban,” Mahbub told bdnews24.com.
“But the birth certificate must be corrected; I need it to enrol my grandson in school soon.”
The Nagar Bhaban of DSCC has been virtually paralysed for a week due to protests by supporters of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain.
They are demanding that he be handed the mayoral post.
The sit-in began on May 14 outside the main gates of Nagar Bhaban.
Since then, multiple offices inside have been padlocked, and operations across regional branches have been suspended.
As a result, core administrative functions have stalled. Many citizens are now unable to access basic municipal services.
A health official from DSCC’s Zone-4 told bdnews24.com on Wednesday that the disruption has spread across all zones.
With no work taking place, he has left the city as well.
“Our office is locked. No one shows up, and no applications are being accepted. That’s why I’ve returned to my village for a few days,” he said.
With staff unable to enter the building, the accounts department remains inactive.
A DSCC official fears that if this situation continues, employee salaries may be delayed.
“We can’t process any payment-related work. If this goes on, workers will face trouble. Their pay will be delayed,” he said.
A revenue department official said many taxpayers usually pay in person at the office. That is no longer possible, putting a dent in revenue collection.
Because the Local Government Division office is also located at Nagar Bhaban, Advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain has been unable to attend the office in recent days.
Waste management activities have not yet been seriously impacted.
Officials, however, warn that disruption to this service is now a real possibility.
“Since waste management is classified as an emergency service, it’s still running,” said Rafat Hossain, a waste management inspector at DSCC. “Our cleaners are on duty, and private workers are also collecting garbage from households.
“Waste transport vehicles are operating as well.”
Md Zillur Rahman, chief executive officer of DSCC, said the ongoing protest has disrupted some of their regular work.
“Certain official operations have been hampered, especially at our main and regional offices,” he said. “But cleaning work, mosquito control, and activities at ward council offices are still active.
“We hope the situation will be resolved soon,” he added.
Supporters of Ishraque have been demonstrating since May 14. Until Tuesday, they camped outside Nagar Bhaban.
They had warned that if the oath was not administered by 10am on Wednesday, they would launch tougher programmes.
The DSCC labour union activists also threatened to suspend all civic services within the corporation area if their demand was not addressed.
As the deadline passed without progress, Ishraque's supporters left Nagar Bhaban and moved to occupy the areas around Matsya Bhaban and Kakrail.
“We had given the government until 10am [Wednesday],” said Russel Mahmud, one of Ishraque’s supporters. “Since they took no action, we’ve taken up positions across the city. We won’t stop until our demand is met.”
The dispute originates from the Dhaka South City election held on Feb 1, 2020, in which Ishraque, the son of former Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, lost to Awami League’s Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh by nearly 200,000 votes.
Following the government change, the Dhaka Election Tribunal nullified that result on Mar 27 and declared Ishraque the rightful mayor.
The Election Commission (EC) issued a gazette on Apr 27 confirming the decision, but the formal swearing-in ceremony has yet to be held.
He, however, has yet to be sworn in, prompting his supporters to intensify their movement to have him formally assume office.
