More than 12 years have elapsed since Morelganj upazila town was elevated to a municipality, but the dwellers hardly got a taste of a municipal town as no civic amenities are available there.
Let alone the amenities that a municipality is supposed to provide, Morelganj municipality does not even have its own building to carry out the administrative activities. The elected representatives and other officials work in a rented building.
Sources said the government declared the town, with an area of approximately six square kilometers under Bagerhat district, as a municipality in 1998 although it hardly met the requirements of a municipality.
Locals said the town was declared a municipality in line with an election pledge of local MP Dr Mozammel Hossain, former state minister for social welfare. But no development work took place in last 12 years. We live in a municipal town which has no facilities for its dwellers. It lacks even the basic amenities we are supposed to have,” said Abul Bashar, a resident of ward No 5.
Bashar said not a single family gets either water supply facility or pure drinking water from the municipality.
According to The Paura-shava Ordinance 1977, “a Paurashava is responsible for the sanitation of the municipality and for the control of environmental pollution.”
The municipality, as per the law, is supposed to provide a supply of whole-some water sufficient for public and private pur-poses.
Another resident Billal Mia said inadequate drainage system in the town turned out to be a big problem but the authorities turned a blind eye to this.
Billal said the entire town goes under town if there is heavy rainfall or water level in the river goes up.
Many families in the town do not even have electricity connection, he added.
After the last municipal election in 2004, a few roads were constructed in the town but they are not enough for communication of the people, locals said.
Under the law, a municipality is responsible to provide and maintain public streets and other means of public commu-nication for the comfort and convenience of the inhabitants.
Incumbent mayor Monirul Haque Talukder told the daily sun that he ‘tried to do’ some development works like construction of bridges and culverts in his six-year tenure.
He said the town is located in remote area and it is prone to natural disaster. “There was nothing in this area some years ago,” he said.
Monirul said constr-uction of a building for the municipality already started.
As per the law, each municipality can establish health centres, maternity centres and centres for the welfare of women, infants and children and can take measures to promote public health as required. But dwellers of Morelganj town enjoyed no such facilities over the last 12 years.
Note: The story was published at daily sun
http://www.daily-sun.com/?view=details&archiev=yes&arch_date=15-12-2010&type=daily_sun_news&pub_no=68&cat_id=1&menu_id=2&news_type_id=1&index=9
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