Citizens hold protests at Shahbagh in the capital on Saturday, showing ‘red card’ to the mayors of both city corporations in Dhaka for failing to address mosquito menace and water-stagnation problem. — Ali Hossain Mintu
People from different walks of life at a rally on Saturday literally showed red cards to the mayors of Dhaka North City and Dhak South City for their failure to eradicate chikungunya and dengue from the beleaguered capital.
The protesters showed the red cards to the mayors from a rally at Shahbagh where they got together under the banner of ‘Writers-Artists-Students-Teachers-Journalists and Citizens’.
The protesters announced that they would launch a tougher action programme against both the mayors if they continued to ignore the issues of dengue and chikungunya.
They blasted mayor Annisul Huq for saying at a news conference on Friday that it was not the function of a mayor to go door to door tfix mosquito nets.
The protesters said that a mayor had no right to rebuke city dwellers who pay taxes to get proper services.
The mayor’s remarks drew huge protests on the facebook and other social media.
‘If someone is hurt by my statement, I am sorry,’ Annis said Saturday while launching an awareness raising programe against chikungunya from a rally at Gulshan.
The Shahbagh rally organizer Iftekhar Ahmed Babul requested the mayor not to rebuke the public who voted them to get services.
He cautioned the mayor that result of rebukes could be cruel.
Former Bangladesh Chhatra Union president Shorifuzzaman Sarif said that though mosquito control was among the main functions of mayors they were speaking in objectionable language after neglecting their responsibilities.
‘Unless you stop making such stupide remarks people would not hesitate to hold protests in front of your office holding red cards,’ he warned the mayors.
He demanded apologies from the two mayors.
He said that water-logging and traffic jam were causing untold sufferings to the capital’s residents due to repeated failures of mayors.
Ganatrantrik Biplobi Party central leader Shahidul Islam Sabuj said that the mayors and mosquitoes made public life miserable in the capital.
Protester Aslamul Haque said as the mayors failed to control mosquitoes due to unbridled corruption at their offices and that they were moving from mosque to mosque to offer prayers only to cover up their failures.
Source: New Age