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Not a city of fear
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Echoing Noor Jahan’s view, other women voters also said safety and security while moving around in the city are their main demand.
There could be arguments that their demand for security and safety has more to do with law enforcement agencies rather than the city corporations.
But Rumana, a resident of Lalmatia, poignantly put this demand into perspective. “We expect our mayors and councillors to take immediate measures to install powerful street lights so that we can feel comfortable moving around at night.”
There are roads in Lalmatia that remain dark at night, making her feel unsafe, added Rumana, who works in a private company.
Shahida Quader, a homemaker in Khilgaon, also calls for a safe environment in her locality so that women and female students can move around safely, especially at night.
Awareness campaigns on public safety issues and mobilising local people to ensure it collectively is a responsibility of councillors, as clearly defined in the City Corporation Rules 2012.
The city corporation authorities will have to make all footpaths free of encroachers and improve street lighting to ensure pedestrian mobility, and that of women in particular.
They will also have to play a vital role in coordinating with law enforcement personnel at the local level to ensure security of women, said some of the voters this newspaper spoke to.
A 2017 poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation listed Dhaka as the seventh worst megacity for women. It was also listed as the fourth most dangerous city in the world in terms of sexual violence faced by women.
Another major demand The Daily Star heard was safe, secure and hassle-free public transport for women.
According to a 2017 Brac study, 94 percent of women commuting on public transport experience some form of sexual harassment.
So far, several women-only bus services and ride-sharing apps have been introduced. However, these are limited in routes and passenger reach -- there are only 15 buses dedicated for women.
Apart from security concerns, the women voters also highlighted other civic amenities they desperately need.
Uninterrupted utility services such as gas and water, for instance, are problems they want public representatives to pay greater attention to.
Shahina Akhtar, a resident of Jatrabari, said scarcity of safe drinking water, waterlogging, and mosquitoes are common problems in her locality.
“I do not want much from our mayor or councillor. I just want to be able to stay home comfortably,” she said. She added that the mayors should take proper steps to reduce the prices of essentials, citing the high prices of vegetables this winter.
Shaheda Ferdousi, a resident of Jhikatola, said women need more public toilets. “While on the move, we do not find any public toilets. This is not just an inconvenience but a health hazard,” she said.
Rina Rani Chakraborty, a physician living in Gopibagh, demanded proper maintenance of roads and a solution to waterlogging in her area.
“Even after light rains, we face severe waterlogging. Public representatives should take proper steps to solve this,” she said.
Shahnaz, a garments worker who lives in Adabor, said she cannot go to the local councillor or mayor for their assistance as she remains busy with work for most of each day, but wants a good person to be elected.
“We do not have any expectations from them other than a city where we can move around safely,” she said.
MORE REPRESENTATION
Shaheda also advocated more female representation in local government.
“Women face multiple problems in their daily life. But we do not feel comfortable going to the mayor or male councillors. They could easily go to a woman councillor with their problems,” she said.
“This is why empowering women councillors of reserved seats is important.”
There are 43 reserved seats for women -- 25 in Dhaka South and 18 in Dhaka North -- in the two Dhaka city corporations.
Fouzia Moslem, acting president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, a non-political and voluntary women’s organisation, called for councillor aspirants for reserved seats for women to raise their voices for equal participation in the decision-making process.
At a programme in Dhaka on January 12, Fouzia said a female councillor for the reserved seat has to work in three wards against the single ward of a male councillor.
In this context, women councillors cannot ensure their due role in development activities as they are deprived of equal government funds and a proper working environment, she said.
At the event, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad also called for the mayors of the two city corporations, once elected, to work towards making Dhaka a women-friendly city. It urged them to increase public transport facilities for women, make footpaths clean and pedestrian-friendly, and provide sufficient hostel facilities for working women.
WHAT THE CANDIDATES OFFER?
Atiqul Islam, AL’s mayoral candidate for Dhaka North, in his manifesto pledged to create a modern, women-friendly mass transit system, and set up women-friendly healthcare centres in the DNCC’s extended areas.
Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, AL-backed mayoral aspirant for Dhaka South, said in his manifesto that adequate hostels for women and students and daycare centres will be built, and a 24/7 helpline and app activated.
Ishraque Hossain, BNP’s mayoral pick for South, in his manifesto promised separate bus services for women, safe housing and transport facilities for garments workers, and sufficient public toilets for women.
BNP-backed Tabith Awal, who is running for mayor of North, in his manifesto pledges to ensure public safety by installing CCTV cameras on each city street.

Occupy
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DU Proctor Prof AKM Golam Rabbani said, “All of our principles and objectives are one and the same -- assisting everyone contesting with the symbol of boat.
“It is our responsibility to get our favourite candidate Barrister Taposh elected for the establishment of a beautiful Dhaka. We cannot imagine any candidate but him become the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation.”
The programme was chaired by DU Teachers Association General Secretary Prof Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan.
Addressing the programme, Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said if he got elected, the city corporation building would be open for residents round-the-clock.
AL ward councillor nominee Asaduzzaman, BCL President Al-Nahian Khan, General Secretary Lekhak Bhattacharya, DU BCL President Sanjit Chandra Das, and General Secretary Saddam Hussain were present at the programme.

Ex-bureaucrats
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over the incumbent ACC Chairman convening such a meeting.
Inviting people holding a constitutional post is unethical, he said.
He also said such initiative just before the Dhaka city elections might send wrong messages.
“Anyone can form an organisation and it’s his/her right. But organisers should think about the acceptability and universality before forming such an organisation,” the former cabinet secretary told The Daily Star, adding that the organisers should have invited all former secretaries before undertaking the initiative.
Shailendranath Majumder, a former secretary, presided over the meeting where a 15-member convening committee was formed to discuss how the organisation would be formed.
Besides, another five-member sub-committee, led by former principal secretary to the prime minister Abul Kalam Azad, was formed to prepare a draft constitution for the organisation.
Former education secretary Sohrab Hossain told The Daily Star that the retried secretaries actually gathered for a reunion.
He said that they could not invite all the former secretaries in the meeting as that they did not know the whereabouts of everyone.