The overwhelming problem with public officials is they are concerned with generally thinking of ways of making money. The whole idea of holding public positions enjoying special facilities at public cost to serve the people has almost disappeared. Officials in public positions are exploiting the public. This kind of thinking has to be uprooted to restore public service by public servants.
For the 3rd consecutive day, many areas in the city, including Motijheel, Karwanbazar, Dhanmondi, Mirpur, Mirerbag, Mogbazar and Razarbag, went under water bringing untold sufferings to commuters as well as residents as waste water welled up and entered the households. This is primarily due to the fact that grabbers have continued to occupy most areas of Dhaka city canals as the authorities failed to continue with their drives against them even though a list of the illegal occupants exists, causing inundation in the rainy season.
Urban planners and green activists allege that the agencies seemed interested to take on expensive new projects instead of maintaining existing physical infrastructure, necessary for reducing public suffering during the rainy season when waterlogging brings life in many areas of the capital to a standstill. They said that until the 54 canals in the capital were reclaimed by evicting grabbers, the problem of waterlogging would not be solved as the canals were the primary storage of city rainwater.
It has been known since 2016 that 400 grabbers have grabbed Dhaka’s 65 canals. But so far none have been prosecuted for their transgressions. Mostly this is due to the fact that they are all powerful moneyed firms or individuals with connections to the ruling party whether politically or financially.
But all the money and power won’t help Dhaka once monsoon starts. The monsoon rains are no great respecter of individuals or firms, no matter how powerful they are. These so-called developers build and sell their plots indiscriminately without regard for geographical necessity because they know neither they nor their children will be living there.
What’s worse is that any environmental activist who dares to speak out is also targeted — Syeda Ridwana Hasan’s husband was abducted in 2014 and only returned after the PM intervened. It was all because she dared to speak about real estate companies who were filling up canals. So it’s clear that the individuals concerned don’t give a damn about power as they think that they can silence anyone who comes in their way.
Mayors are not powerless but they cannot take action because the land grabbers are part of the establishment. The city mayors are the government’s own people and cannot be harsh to their own people. So the city corporations are demanding money for the new projects to get a share in the corruption. This is the system and blaming them personally is not good enough.
Both the new Mayors mean well but to be able to improve the capital city they have to be determined to come out of the state system of corruption for personal gains.
