Barisal City Corporation (BCC) mayor Ahsan Habib Kamal, now in the third year of his current tenure, says that he has been a success in terms of keeping poll-time promises and carrying out development works. But common people and city corporation employees tell a completely different tale about his role in the current dismal state of affairs in Barisal city. In an interview with The Independent on Monday, Kamal said he had taken charge on October 8, 2013, at a time when the city corporation was facing a liability of Tk. 143 crore. "After assuming office, I announced that the BCC would soon become a corruption-free institution. I have kept my promise," he added.
"I have decorated the city corporation area. Barisal city is now more disciplined and decorated than ever. I have a dream to make the city even more beautiful, but my hands are tied by funds crunch. To run the activities of a city corporation, I have never received any financial support from the government," he claimed.
"Even within such limitations, I have carried out development works worth Tk. 210 crore in the city in last three years by implementing over 400 schemes. Development works of Tk. 75 crore are still being performed," he said. However, the real scenario is not so rosy in Barisal city. All the roads here have been damaged by heavy downpours. Potholes and cracks have developed everywhere. Emergency repairs are needed to smoothen the movement of vehicles and mitigate the troubles faced by daily commuters. Kamal conceded the dissatisfaction of a section of voters. He said he could not complete the pending works without at least Tk. 300 crore. He, however, assured that a German donor group would carry out development works around the city by spending Tk. 650 crore in the next five years.
But discontent is brewing inside the very core of the BCC. Regular employees have not received their salaries for the last six months, while other temporary staff have been working without payments for the last three months.
Dipak Lal, president of the Bangabandhu Parishad (BCC unit), said: "We were being paid from our own provident funds for the last 33 months, but the amounts have not been deposited in our accounts. As many as 16 employees, including a former chief engineer, did not get their gratuity even after three years of their retirement."
A section of senior officials of the BCC alleged that by violating the Employment Rules, Kamal had given the charge of superintendent engineer to EXEN MA Motaleb, the current charge of EXEN water supply to assistant engineer Kazi Monirul Islam, the current charge of EXEN engineering to assistant engineer Lusfar Rahman, the current charge of assistant engineers to sub-assistant engineer Arifur Rahman and the current charge of sub-assistant engineers to work assistant Ahsan Habib—all of whom only possess an engineering diploma each. Showing a copy of the Bangladesh Gazette published on September 13, 2010, the senior officials said that anybody promoted to those posts must be BSC engineering degree holders.
It is known that three teams of a ministry have recently visited the BCC for investigating corruption in development works. Also, three Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) teams have been investigating another instance of corruption in the city corporation. Dr Habibur Rahman, president of Barisal Manobadhikar Jot, said BCC mayor Kamal did not perform any work for city residents. He even failed to continue the development activities of former mayor Sawkat Hosen Hiron. The local water treatment plant was yet to start functioning due to Kamal’s negligence, Rahman added. Rahman said 2,427 city dwellers were bitten by stray dogs, which could not be located afterwards, over the past year. "We're feeling ashamed to have elected such a city mayor," he added.
Mortuza Abedin, councillor of ward no. 25 and president of the Jatiya Party’s city unit, severely criticised the quality of development works taken up during Kamal's tenure. Kamal was the first mayor-in-charge of the BCC in 2002. He was defeated in mayoral elections in 2003 and 2008. He had held the position of BNP city unit president several times. But to the dismay of many, Kamal never attended any anti-government rally called by the BNP after he was elected mayor.