Barisal City Corporation Mayor Ahsan Habib Kamal has said he will resign from his post on October 4 due to the non cooperation from officials.
Kamal’s tenure as Barisal City Corporation mayor will end on October 23.
At a press conference on Monday, the mayor cited a lack of cooperation by officials, and pressure from a group of people, as the reason behind his desired resignation.
However, he did not disclose the names of the people pressuring him.
Talking about his desire to resign, he said: “As I am elected mayor as a member of an opposition party, I am unable to openly mention the cause and names of the people liable for the situation.”
Awami League-backed candidate Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah was elected as the mayor in the fourth city corporation election that was held on July 30.
The other six candidates boycotted the election amid allegations of rigging. Serniabat is supposed to take office after Kamal’s term ends—at the end of this month.
Kamal said he was unable to make any payments since June 2018 after the transfer of Barisal City Corporation’s chief executive officer, secretary, and magistrate.
Stating that he informed the local authorities about the matter several times, the mayor said he had also appealed for the power of cheque-signing to be transferred to another person.
The mayor said even though there are abundant funds in the city corporation’s account; he cannot use the money to pay the dues because officials are not cooperating—to create political pressure.
He said the payment for various development work, electricity bills, other expenses, and the payment of employees’ and workers’ salaries remained suspended for the last three month.
“I was also bound to suspend the regular meeting of our council scheduled for October 2 as the secretary of Barisal City Corporation has already been transferred,” he added.
Mayor Kamal said: “I have Tk60 core in city corporation fund, but I cannot make any transactions. The cheques need to be signed by the chief executive officer but he has refused to sign it.
“I cannot provide any service to people here, so I decided to resign on October 4, if the situation does not change.”
Israil Hossain, acting chief executive officer, could not be reached over the phone for a comment regarding the allegation.
Kamal defeated Barisal Mayor and city Awami League President Shawkat Hossain Hiron by 17,000 votes in the third Barisal City Corporation held on June 15, 2013.
On October 8, 2013, the BNP-backed mayor took charge of the city corporation 128 days after the election was held—and inherited Tk143 crore of debt liabilities.
Kamal was also the first mayor of Barisal City Corporation in 2002 and was defeated in elections in 2003 and 2008.
