The absence of local leaders and service organisation heads in Chattogram, after the fall of the Awami League government, has created a leadership vacuum, resulting in uncertain service delivery and considerable public inconvenience.
Since the fall of the Awami League-led government, Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Mohammad Yunus, Chattogram District Council Chairman ATM Peyarul Islam, Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) Chairman Mohammad Faizullah, upazila parishad chairmen, the president of the Chattogram Chamber of Commerce & Industry, city councillors of 41 wards, and chairmen of the 190 union parishads have not been attending their offices.
Consequently, development activities have ceased, and essential tasks such as issuing nationality certificates and birth registrations are no longer being performed.
The ongoing political instability and the fear of violence, have forced these officials to go into hiding. This has resulted in a leadership vacuum, causing a halt in decision-making and leaving no directives from higher authorities, according to officials and staff in these offices.
Furthermore, the absence of ward councilors and union parishad chairmen has led to a complete halt in passport services, land registration, and National ID-related work.
These grassroots organisations are essential for the daily lives of thousands of people. Official tasks cannot be completed without the nationality certificate issued by the union parishad chairman. This certificate is necessary for obtaining a passport, driving license, national ID, death certificate, or heirship certificate.
In Chattogram, the nationality certificate issued by the union parishad chairman is particularly significant due to the presence of Rohingyas. Additionally, union parishads are responsible for developing local infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and culverts, managing extensive projects worth millions of taka. They also operate village courts that handle thousands of local disputes, reducing the need for court or police station visits.
The operations of union parishads as local government entities significantly impact the daily lives of several million people in their respective areas. There are 190 union parishads across 16 upazilas in Chattogram. Most of the current chairmen of these parishads are from Awami League.
Many of them are popular and well-regarded in their communities, and have worked above party politics. However, following the fall of the government, all of them have gone into hiding. Many union parishad chairmen's homes have been attacked, looted, and set on fire. Even chairmen known for their good work have taken refuge, and the public is bearing the consequences. They are facing delays in obtaining nationality certificates and other essential registrations, which has stalled many of their important tasks.
When this correspondent tried to reach CCC Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury by mobile phone multiple times for a comment were unsuccessful, as his phone was switched off. Later, several officials confirmed that the mayor has not been coming to the office since Monday.
Regarding this, CCC Chief Executive Officer Sheikh Muhammad Touhidul Islam said that for the past few days, they have not been able to work at full capacity, resulting in an accumulation of nearly 10,000 tonnes of garbage and waste in the city. Each of their ward offices has been damaged in some way. The equipment used for sanitation activities is kept in these ward offices, and almost half of this equipment has been damaged.
“However, our workforce remains intact. We are using the functional equipment we have to continue our work. We hope to clean the city within a few days,” he said.
“We are actively overseeing the resumption of all the citizen services provided by CCC. A meeting with the departmental heads of CCC has already been held, and instructions have been given to ensure the presence and performance of CCC officials and employees,” he added.
