Dhaka: Sayeed Khokon, newly elected mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), has started work giving priorities to five projects from his election manifesto.

Meanwhile, he has started taking measures to reduce traffic jam, removing water-logging and cleaning the city.

He informed these to Banglanews in an exclusive interview on June 14.

In the interview, Khokon expressed his determination to give something new to the city dwellers.

He openly said about setting up of a city government, easing citizens’ sufferings for traffic jam, recovering unauthorized grab of parks and playgrounds and stopping corruption in the corporation office.

He is thinking to present the citizens something different, sitting on his father’s chair, which is full of emotions. He said, ‘I am trying to learn and understand things within this short time of one month. I am trying to work giving priorities to five programs from my election manifesto’.

He further said, ‘I like to work in the line of my father in serving citizens. Just wait and see for something new’.

‘This room where I am now sitting was my father’s room, which is not new to me. I used to come here, so I have some memories here.’

‘I am fortunate that I got the opportunity to do the unfinished job of my father.’

He informed the media saying, ‘The city corporation, which I knew during my father’s tenure, is now a bit changed because the number of citizens has increased manifolds. However, it has prospects and I am going to utilize that prospect’.

Before election, Sayeed Khokon enlisted priorities of five programs from his election manifesto. They include easing traffic jam; a pollution-free, navigable and safe river Buriganga; ensuring safe drinking water; uninterrupted gas and electricity supplies; clean, pollution-free and a healthy city and fighting corruption, terrorism, extortion to make sure the safe life for city dwellers.

About his first priority, he said that a committee has been formed regarding the case project of World Bank to ease traffic jam. In the month of Ramadan citizens will have a little sufferings but after completion of the flyovers, it will largely reduce, he added.

Regarding cleanliness, he said, ‘Meanwhile, we have formed two committees with the ward commissioners and women commissioners of reserved seats’.

‘They will start work within a week.’

‘The garbage disposal bags will be distributed to each house from June 16. This will help discourage to throw the garbage indiscriminately rather it will help the cleaners to collect the waste.’

The newly elected mayor has listed water logging as a big challenge now and added that though this task belongs to WASA he is taking necessary measures with the service provider.

‘Good result will come out within a short time,’ he expected.

Mayor Khokon said that at least 6-7 parks and playgrounds of the corporation, which have been illegally grabbed, will be recovered soon.

According to him, the existing parks will be made free from the drug addicts, extortionists and muggers. These will be safe and better environment will return soon.

When asked about the corruption of city corporation office coined as the ‘hub of corruption’, he said that this is an age-old and deep rooted problem and it will take time to take control over it, he added.

He further said that necessary instructions have given to check corruption.

Regarding community centers of the corporation, he said that some centers are functioning and some are non-functioning.

‘A committee will be formed with the ward commissioners to look into the matter and measures will be taken for regular maintenance of the centers.’

When suggestions for outsourcing were placed regarding the city centers, Khokon said that he is thinking over the matter and trying hard to get allocations from different sources.

However, Sayeed Khokon’s father Mohammad Hanif was the first elected mayor of Dhaka city from 1994 until 2002.

Late Hanif first coined the idea of City or Metropolitan Government and tried to materialize this concept for ensuring service to the citizens because the system gives more control on the various sectors.

But he could not materialize it. His son Khokon has positive attitude on this concept but there is some bureaucratic tangles, he admitted to the media.

However, mayor Khokon is hopeful that to do something about this though it might take some time.

BDST: 1432 HRS, JUN 18, 2015
Shahjahan/RR/SMS