Shahadat promises to be a servant of the city
BNP nominated mayoral candidate Dr Shahadat Hossain yesterday pledged to make Chattogram city safe, clean and tourist-friendly, keeping international standards and communal harmony in mind.
Prioritising waterlogging, he made 75 pledges on nine different issues in his manifesto.
Urging the government to "give back people's voting rights", Shahadat read out the manifesto with the slogan "Cholo Shobai Badho Jote, Ebar Debo Amar Vote (let us unite and cast our votes)" at a press conference at a local restaurant in the city.
He promised to take recommendations from all former elected mayors as well as professionals and experts to develop the port city into a waterlogging and traffic jam-free, modern city.
Mentioning that he considers himself as an activist in politics, not a leader, Shahadat said if elected he does not want to be the "city's father" but its servant.
The nine issues in the manifesto are waterlogging, health care, education, holding tax and housing, cleanliness, safety, communal harmony, aesthetics and tourism, and IT.
To resolve waterlogging, he made six pledges: recovering and digging city canals and drains; renovating them before every monsoon; collecting funds from Asian Development Bank, Kuwait fund or Jica to implement Drainage Master Plan-1995; reinstating the step of renovating city drains, which was initiated by BNP government during 1991-1996; dredging of Karnaphuli river; and stopping hill cutting to prevent siltation.
Mentioning that health care is the most neglected sector, Shahadat said no new government hospital has been set up in the city in recent memory, although its population increased 20 times in the last 50 years, and the city lacks specialised hospitals.
Saying that Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, the only hospital in the city for infectious diseases, is yet to be a full-fledged facility, he promised to take steps to rectify this and set up another hospital for treating Covid-19 or other such diseases.
Promising to take steps for Covid-19 vaccination on priority basis, the candidate pledged to form special cells for women, children and people with disabilities at health centres run by CCC. The centres would provide treatment at cheap rates for pregnant women and children aged below five.
He also pledged to build enough public toilets for men and women at suitable locations.
Shahadat said the holding tax would be fixed at a reasonable level and its format would be simplified.
To clean the city, the candidate promised to increase workforce in the conservancy department, procure modern equipment, recycle waste for use in agriculture and ensure waste collection from apartments in residential areas and high-rise buildings.
To build a safe Chattogram city, he will focus on creating a round-the-clock IT command centre for ensuring safety and disaster management, ward-based community policing to assist law enforcers, and setting up footbridges near schools, colleges and important locations.
Making 17 pledges for building an aesthetic, tourist-friendly city, Shahadat said he wants to modernise the city and attract tourists by utilising rare resources like the hills, sea and river.
To do this, he promised to take different tourism-related projects following public private partnership. He also mentioned steps like introducing a modern bus service, building aesthetic open parks with modern amenities, and turning lakes and ponds into tourist spots.
To get rid of traffic congestion, his pledges included building separate bus and truck terminals, constructing multi-storied parking and creating separate lanes for slow vehicles.
Mentioning about establishing an IT park, the candidate promised introduction of free internet service in educational institutes under CCC. He assured of introducing an online system for getting birth and death certificates, and paying holding tax, trade licence and other fees.
While addressing the conference, BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury urged journalists to be alert, so city dwellers can cast their votes.
BNP Central Committee Joint Secretary General Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, Publicity Secretary Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee, Chattogram Divisional Organising Secretary Mahbubur Rahman Shamim and Chattogram City Unit Member Secretary Abul Hashem Bakkar were present among others.
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