STAFF CORRESPONDENT

LGRD Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said the local government elections may begin in phases from September or October.

In response to a query from Jamalpur-3 MP Mostafizur Rahman Babul during the question-and-answer session in parliament, the minister said the government plans to complete elections to union parishads, municipalities, upazila parishads, district councils and city corporations within the next year.

He said union parishad polls are likely to be held first.

Responding to a question from reserved-seat MP Selima Rahman, the minister said steps are underway to formalise household waste collection in Dhaka North City Corporation.

He said household waste is collected by private individuals and organisations using vans and transported to secondary transfer stations.

“To ensure proper management, the process of bringing these operators under contract with the city corporation is ongoing. Once the contract process is complete, the use of small covered vans for environmentally friendly waste removal will be considered,” he said.