Photo : Collected
The newly sworn-in Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) Mayor Dr Shahadat Hossain has sought overall cooperation from all stakeholders to run the municipality as a service-providing organization.
"I want to stand by the people of Chattogram as a servant of 70 lakh citizens, not as a city father. I want to work alongside citizens from all walks of life, regardless of their religion, race, or nationality and seek your full support. I can never repay the debt I owe you,” he said at a reception at Old Railway Station in Chattogram on Tuesday.
"I am your (city dwellers') son. This city doesn’t belong to me alone; it belongs to all of us. Together, let's build a clean, green and healthy city. Please give me some time and I’ll fulfill my responsibilities to the letter. You will always have a place in my heart," the mayor said.
He alleged that BNP leaders and activists had endured severe hardship, including staying away from their families and living in hunger.
"I have witnessed your suffering. Over 600 BNP leaders and activists have been disappeared across Bangladesh. In Chattogram alone, over 60 lakh people have been implicated in over 100,000 cases. Despite these, you have never deviated from the ideals of BNP," he said.
The freedom of media had been suppressed after implication in ICT cases during the Awami League regime, he alleged.
Addressing the event, the mayor expressed his gratitude to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and others for picking him as the CCC mayoral candidate.
AM Najim Uddin, BNP's Labour Secretary and Abul Hashem Bakkar former general secretary of the city unit of BNP, among others spoke on the occasion.
Messenger/JRTarek/SK
