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Leaders' tussle troubles townspeople

AL Poura Chairman and BNP MP at loggerheads in Syedpur

OUR CORRESPONDENT, Nilphamari
Normal activities of Syedpur municipality have come to virtual standstill due to a conflict between newly elected municipal chairman Akhtar Hossen Badal of opposition Awami League and local lawmaker Amjad Hossain Sarkar of ruling BNP.
Amjad Hossain is also the immediate past chairman of the municipality.
Sources said the conflict ensued from appointment of 17 new municipal employees made by outgoing chairman Amjad Hossain at the fag end of his tenure allegedly without consulting the chairman-elect.
The municipal election was held on May 6. Akhtar took charge on May 29. The 17 employees were appointed on May 23.
Akhtar says Amjad had no right to appoint employees six days before his takeover without consulting him.
Meanwhile, the 17 employees filed a case alleging that the municipal chairman was not allowing them to sign the
attendance register. The municipal chairman denied the allegation and field a case against them for "creating anarchy and chaos".
The district administration probed the allegation on August 4 but the findings are yet to be made public.
Syedpur, with a population of around 2.5 lakh, is a Class one municipality and is regarded as a stronghold of BNP. Majority of the townspeople are Urdu speaking Beharis,
But in the last pourasabha election, the BNP candidate, who is the younger brother of Amjad Hossain, was defeated by AL candidate Akhtar Badal.
Akhtar says the municipality is in deep financial crisis. Fifty-six regular employees are not getting salary for 42 months and 29 others are yet to get their retirement benefits. The total dues to employees is now over Tk 1.32 crore. The new appointments are not justified in such a financial crisis, he told this correspondent.
Sources said the Local Government Ministry had approved the new 17
appointments on May 20 following a proposal sent by the former chairman on March 3 this year.
To this, Akhtar said the former chairman "misled the ministry" and got the approval by using his influence as a ruling party man.
"I have asked the ministry to reconsider appointment of the new 17 employees as we are in financial crisis", he said.
When contacted, Amjad Hossen Sarkar MP said the 17 appointments were approved by the ministry.
"Everything will be clear when the district administration investigation report is made public".
He also denied an allegation made by the new chairman that seniority was ignored in making the appointments from Master Roll employees. All appointments were done through test, he claimed.
He also denied the allegation by Akhtat that he was obstructing development work by the municipality.