Pabna Municipality, one of Bangladesh’s oldest local government institutions, continues to operate from a 150-year-old building that was officially declared unsafe more than a decade ago, while persistent staff shortages and ageing infrastructure continue to hamper civic services.
Established in 1876, the first-class municipality has yet to receive a new administrative building despite its growing responsibilities. Officials continue to provide public services from the condemned structure, raising concerns over the safety of both employees and residents.
The municipality’s office building was declared abandoned by the government in 2012. However, with no replacement building constructed, all official activities are still being carried out there, creating the risk of a potentially serious accident.
Municipal sources said the authority is also struggling with a shortage of manpower. It has 71 permanent officials and employees to serve an area of 27.20 square kilometres with around 220 kilometres of roads.
The municipality employs only 194 sanitation workers, despite requiring around three workers per kilometre of road. Fewer than one worker is available per kilometre at present. Only 45 workers are responsible for maintaining the drainage network.
Although several new municipal vehicles worth nearly Tk1.5 crore have recently been added to the fleet, the municipality has no proper shed or maintenance facilities. As a result, the vehicles are being kept in open spaces, raising concerns that they could deteriorate quickly.
Khairul Islam, a resident of Ward No 7, said poor waste management and clogged drains create hardship throughout the year, with the situation worsening during the monsoon.
“Because drains are not cleaned regularly, even light rainfall leaves many neighbourhoods waterlogged. In some areas, residents suffer from waterlogging for almost eight months of the year,” he said.
Komol Sen, a resident of South Raghabpur, criticised the municipality for repeatedly increasing holding taxes without making visible improvements to civic services.
“Apart from raising municipal taxes and pressing residents to pay them, there have been no timely measures to improve services. If this continues, people will be forced to take to the streets,” he said.
Pabna Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Forkan Reza Badsha Biswas said residents had long been deprived of quality municipal services despite the municipality’s long history.
“We are perhaps the most unfortunate municipal residents because no one seems to be looking after us. The municipality is 150 years old, but the quality of services has not improved over the decades. We want better civic services without delay,” he said.
Afzal Hossain Raja, president of the Pabna BSCIC Industrial Estate Association, said problems existed throughout the municipality and called for coordinated efforts to address them.
Responding to the criticism, Pabna Municipality Administrator Khairul Islam said the authority had already taken several initiatives to improve services and develop infrastructure.
He said a recommendation had been made to include the municipality in a growth project with the support of Pabna Sadar MP Advocate Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas. He also said a Tk50 crore development project proposal had been considered under a special project framework, while an application for construction of a new municipal building was submitted on 7 July.
The administrator added that proposals had also been submitted to construct multi-storey housing for employees living in the Harijan Colony. He expressed hope that the government would approve the requested funding, enabling the municipality to overcome its long-standing challenges and significantly improve public services.
