Syed Shemul Parvez :
Allegations have been raised against the concerned departments of two city corporations for unjustly collecting excess garbage bill from the city residents.
The maximum garbage bill for per flat has been fixed Tk 100, but taka 150-300 is being collected forcefully by the waste collectors. Even if don’t take the any one service, the bill has to be paid.
Although the garbage collectors collect taka 612 crore a year for the bill, the North City Corporation does not get any revenue from it.
On the other hand, South City Corporation is getting TK 9 crore only.
Sources said that waste collectors collect garbage from the residence and deposit it to the secondary transfer station. For this, the South City Corporation has decided that the garbage collectors will be able to charge a maximum bill of taka 100 per flat. But in Ward No. 49, an organization called Bipul Traders has collected garbage bill Tk 100 per room in the flat.
Even those who are not taking the service are also obliged to pay this money, sources added.
A resident of Ward 49 of Dhaka South City Corporation claimed that they were charging taka 400 per flat and taka 100 per room for garbage bill.
Even if you don’t take services, you have to pay the garbage bill, victim resident said.
It is learned that garbage collection companies collect taka around 612 crore annually from the two cities. But South City gets tk 9 crore only from this source.
But North City Corporation does not get any part of this money. The remaining taka 603 crore went into the pockets of middlemen.
Friends Kalyan Sangha, an organization that collects garbage bill in Ward 8 of North City complained that Abul Kashem Mollah, a local councilor, allegedly collected taka 24,000 per month from this organization.
Besides, another organization also contributes money to the development committee. But there is no good answer as to where this money is spent.
Meanwhile, Councilor of Ward No-8 Abul Kashem Mollah said, ‘All the allegations against me are false. If anyone can prove it, I will leave politics. ‘
Mohammad Hossain Chakladar, President of DNCC Ward no 8, F Block’s Development Association, said, “We spend the garbage bill on the development work of F block.”
On the other hand, the DNCC hopes that these mismanagement will be removed after the tender process done.
Saidur Rahman, Chief waste Management Officer of DNCC, said, “We are trying to bring them under a policy. Even we have already told them how much money can be taken for garbage.
We hope these problems will be solved very soon, he said.
Besides, the mayor is talking about taking action including cancellation of tender if anyone collects money outside the stipulated bill.
However, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said, “We are talking to waste collectors, trying to convince them. Even then, if they take extra money, I will cancel their registration.
