In Dhaka’s two city corporations, 129 wards currently have no councillors, placing the full responsibility for citizen services on just 20 regional officials. The overwhelming workload is straining these officers, causing delays, complications, and hardships for residents. Development projects have also slowed.
Chattogram faces a similar scenario, with 41 wards managed by 16 officials.
In August 2024, the then interim government dissolved city corporations first, followed by district and upazila councils and municipalities. More than 450 upazila councils, 330 municipalities, and 61 district councils are now run by appointed administrators.
After the BNP came to power, it replaced administrators in city corporations and district councils with party-affiliated leaders. Yet, in the absence of elected councillors, local conditions remain largely unchanged. Services have slowed, and citizen hardships have multiplied.
Badiul Alam Majumdar, head of the electoral system reform commission under the interim government, told TIMES of Bangladesh, “Delivering desired services without elected representatives is impossible. Representatives carry accountability that appointed officials lack.”
State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Mir Shahe Alam said elections could begin in phases from September–October, with union councils, municipalities, upazilas, district councils, and city corporations expected to complete elections within a year. He added that new laws will see mayoral and chairman elections held without party symbols.
Ward offices are responsible for issuing birth, death, citizenship, character, and inheritance certificates, as well as TCB cards. Councillor signatures are also essential for verifying national ID and voter lists. Their absence is now causing citizens extra delays and inconvenience.
In several Dhaka wards, tasks that previously took a day now take several days to a week. The application process has become complex and phased.
Junayed Iqbal – a resident of Agargaon – said, “To get a citizenship certificate, I first had to apply at a computer shop. After the ward secretary accepted the application, they told me to come back in a week.”
Anisur Rahman of Dhaka North City’s Ward 28 said, “There is a canal near our house. Its stench makes living unbearable. I do not know whom to complain to. If there was a councillor, we could at least lodge a complaint at the office.”
Revan Ahmed added that mosquito problems persist without effective action.
Ward secretaries also report difficulties due to the absence of councillors. One of them, speaking on condition of anonymity, told TIMES, “Previously, councillors would sign documents, and we would verify and process them. Now everything is phased. Applications with all documents are sent to the city corporation regional office, checked by officials, and finally signed by regional officers.”
Each regional officer is assigned seven to ten wards, creating growing piles of files. Obtaining a certificate now takes a long time. Secretaries said the absence of councillors has also delayed tasks such as clearing drains, mosquito control, and road repairs.
According to the Election Commission, there are no legal obstacles to holding elections in Dhaka North and South, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Cumilla, Chattogram, Barishal, Rangpur, and Khulna city corporations, all of which are awaiting election.
The terms for Dhaka North and South city corporations ended on 2 and 1 June 2025 respectively, while Chattogram’s ended on 22 February. Narayanganj, Cumilla, and Rangpur city corporations are set to end in 2027; Sylhet, Rajshahi, Gazipur, Barishal, and Khulna in 2028; and Mymensingh in 2029. Mayoral vacancies have arisen due to removals.
Local government law mandates elections within 180 days after mayoral removal, but political disagreements have delayed the polls.
Majumdar said, “Democracy means elected representatives. This applies nationally and locally. The most reasonable solution to reduce citizen hardship is to transfer responsibility to representatives through elections as soon as possible.”
The same situation exists in district towns. Resident Shawon Molla from Daripara, Jamalpur Municipality, said, “I recently went there for citizen certificates. Previously, councillors were very helpful. Now, hardly any familiar officials remain. I suffered unnecessary hardship.”
Union councils face similar problems.
On 4 May at 10am, 60-year-old Amesha Begum sat outside Sharifpur Union Council in Jamalpur Sadar Upazila, bag in hand, visibly exhausted. She was waiting to confirm whether her name was on the government-issued TCB card. Hours passed without meeting any representative or official.
Amesha Begum said, “I have been sitting here for hours, but no one shows up. If the chairman were here, this would not happen.”
The scene in Sharifpur, about 7 km from Jamalpur town, highlights a silent crisis. Even with the union council open, services seem inaccessible.
The interim government did not dissolve union councils, but hardships persist. In unions where Awami League leaders were chairmen, many went into hiding after 5 August 2024, effectively paralysing administration.
Shaila Begum Shila, accounts assistant at Sharifpur Union, said, “We have to do the chairman’s work. Many people leave documents with us, adding to our workload.”
