Anomalies stretch from North to South:Daily Sun

The two city corporations of Dhaka are deeply engrossed in corruption as they were run by bureaucrats due to lack of elections for long. According to sources, there have been massive irregularities including large scale swindle, plunder on the ploy of raising revenue, looting of money in the name of parking and embezzlement by the bureaucrats that put on the city corporations’ shoulder the burden

of Tk 500 crore as loan. Most of the markets of the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) are on the way to be out of its control. On the pretext of ‘fabricated cases’ at the intervention of some influential people, the markets have been remaining out of the jurisdiction of the corporation. As a result, such big sources of revenue earnings are also stopped now. Many such incidents of irregularities and corruption are taking place in the Dhaka South and the North city corporations. The officials allegedly committed serious irregularities such as construction of multi-storey buildings through temporary allotment of a road showing it as land. When such allegations piled up, the charge of markets were shifted from the estate division to the revenue division. But this division after getting the new assignment advanced further in corruption and vanished the important files involving taka hundreds of crore. It is alleged that in the name of increasing the holding tax, huge money was collected from the city dwellers through NGOs.  The fuel oil meant for transports have been sold in the black market. The law division is alleged to have worked to protect the individual interest in lieu of the interest of the government.  If everything goes well, Sayeed Khokon will take over as the elected mayor of the Dhaka South City Corporation today. But it is to be seen how much he can deliver after taking the charge of the mayor pledging to ensure various civic amenities for the public. Because, he is assuming the office of the mayor with a burden of loan to the tune of taka hundreds of crores. Strangely, although the officials and the employees are not getting their salaries, the corrupt officials are leading luxurious lives. With a view to improving the quality of the service to the dwellers, the Dhaka City Corporation was bifurcated into two parts and administrators were appointed there. And with that the two city corporations were steeped in severe corruption and financial crisis. The officials made understanding with the contractors for commission business without even arranging the funds for the works. The outstanding bills of the contractors of DSCC till April 18 stood at Tk 204. 98 crore.