THE New Nation reported on Friday that the dustbins that the two City Corporations have put at roadside for disposing garbage is facing hostile reception. It appears that the tin sheet cover of most of the 15,000 small and medium dustbins on footpaths have been either stolen or thrown away by unknown people making a good initiative to become partly useless. The two City Mayors deserve appreciation for they have at least done something to keep the streets clean. Such bins are at work in all cities in the developed and developing countries. In those countries throwing even small garbage like a tissue paper in open place is an offence and punished by fines and such other measures. Introducing such practice in Dhaka and other cities is long overdue but it can’t come all on a sudden. It needs preparations and public awareness campaign to make people aware of it and encourage them to use the bins as part of their daily life.
In Dhaka many were caught by surprise when they saw the bins at street corners without knowing much about it. It is also clear that the two City Corporations have not weighed about such risks of stealing the lid and even did not use a survey to take the issue to city dwellers involving them in mobilizing public awareness about it. Some City Corporation officials promoted the projects with the help of ruling party men apparently to make money from the procurement drive.
In fact corruptions are everywhere in the government and rent seekers and dishonest City Corporation employees did what they wanted to do to make their illegal fortune. We don’t want to demean the City Corporations’ cleanliness initiative but the haste in which the bins were put in place has exposed the wrong and motivated planning and poor management capacity of the corporations to give better service to city dwellers. Needless to say that Mayors should be held responsible for lack of preparedness how to check the miscreants from moving out the bins or their lid. Poor as they are, they steal them to sell as junk. There are many cleaners who work in city streets day and night and their involvement could give results or may at least stop some of them from removing it.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sayeed Khokon has been quoted as saying the City Corporation would begin imposing penalty on people making the city dirty. He wants to bring pressure on people to use the bins and keep the city clean. But nobody would deny that protecting them is essential in the first place to make them useful to people in the streets.
In Dhaka many were caught by surprise when they saw the bins at street corners without knowing much about it. It is also clear that the two City Corporations have not weighed about such risks of stealing the lid and even did not use a survey to take the issue to city dwellers involving them in mobilizing public awareness about it. Some City Corporation officials promoted the projects with the help of ruling party men apparently to make money from the procurement drive.
In fact corruptions are everywhere in the government and rent seekers and dishonest City Corporation employees did what they wanted to do to make their illegal fortune. We don’t want to demean the City Corporations’ cleanliness initiative but the haste in which the bins were put in place has exposed the wrong and motivated planning and poor management capacity of the corporations to give better service to city dwellers. Needless to say that Mayors should be held responsible for lack of preparedness how to check the miscreants from moving out the bins or their lid. Poor as they are, they steal them to sell as junk. There are many cleaners who work in city streets day and night and their involvement could give results or may at least stop some of them from removing it.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sayeed Khokon has been quoted as saying the City Corporation would begin imposing penalty on people making the city dirty. He wants to bring pressure on people to use the bins and keep the city clean. But nobody would deny that protecting them is essential in the first place to make them useful to people in the streets.
