Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered punitive action against six more senior officials of Dhaka North and South City Corporations over alleged failures in waste management, drainage maintenance and dengue prevention efforts.
The directive came a day after two regional executive officers of the two city corporations were relieved of their duties and attached to the Ministry of Public Administration for negligence in waste removal.
On Friday afternoon, the prime minister personally drove through different parts of the capital to inspect the city's waste management and ongoing development activities.
During the visit, he expressed dissatisfaction over the condition of waste disposal in several areas, including Hatirpool, Elephant Road, Green Road, Farmgate and Karwan Bazar, where garbage was found piled up on roads.
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives State Minister Mir Shahe Alam, who accompanied the prime minister during the inspection, said Tarique Rahman ordered the temporary suspension of two regional executive officers and instructed authorities to initiate departmental proceedings against them.
He said the officials had already been attached to the Ministry of Public Administration for alleged negligence in duty.
The state minister further said the prime minister had directed authorities to take action within 48 hours against six additional officials-three from each city corporation.
The officials include the chief executive officer, chief waste management officer and chief health officer of both Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
According to Mir Shahe Alam, the action was ordered due to their alleged failure to ensure proper waste removal, keep drainage channels clean and take effective measures to prevent dengue outbreaks.
The officials named are DNCC Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Mamunul Hasan, Chief Waste Management Officer Commodore Mohammad Humayun Kabir and Chief Health Officer Brig Gen Imrul Qayes Chowdhury.
From DSCC, the officials are Chief Executive Officer Md Zahirul Islam, Chief Waste Management Officer Air Commodore Md Mahbubur Rahman Talukder and Chief Health Officer Dr Jahane Ferdous Binte Rahman.
Among those accompanying the prime minister during the inspection were DSCC Administrator Md Abdus Salam, BNP National Executive Committee Special Secretary Muhammad Belayet Hossain and Prime Minister’s Private Secretary-2 Advocate Mehedul Islam.
