The re-excavation work of the Old Channel of the Buriganga River may start this month, said Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Fazle Nur Taposh on Wednesday. He made the remark while talking to reporters after visiting the Companighat Sluice Gate in the capital’s Kalunagar. “The tender process of the re-excavation work is at its final stage. We hope that we’ll be able to start the work within this month. We’ll start the work after demarcating the area by demolishing all the illegal structures surrounding the river,” said Taposh. Replying to a question, Taposh said that DSCC has already retrieved six and a half acres of land from occupants. Besides, a 10-storey illegal structure beside the Buriganga River has also been demolished. “We’ll be able to reclaim the government land this time too,” added Taposh. He also said that the DSCC authority is repairing the sluice gates keeping the increased water flow during the monsoon season in mind. “We’re yet to receive the repaired sluice gates officially. Currently we’re focusing on how to keep them running,” added the Mayor.    MP of Dhaka-9  Saber Hossain Chowdhury, DSCC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Farif Ahammad, Chief Waste Management Officer Air Commodore Sitwat Naim other officials were present during the Mayor’s visit.

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said at least one public toilet will be constructed in 75 wards each under the city corporation. He came up with the announcement while briefing journalists after inaugurating a public toilet at Janapath intersection of Jatrabari in the capital on Wednesday. Also read: DSCC anti-mosquito drive to begin from June 15 “It is the long-standing demand of the city dwellers to construct public toilets in the places of mass gatherings. We have already started the work. Primarily, we will construct 75 public toilets in every ward under DSCC and later, it will be increased based on demand and survey. Mentioning that DSCC has been working to ensure the basic amenities of citizens without wasting public money, Taposh said, “You have seen that we have constructed a public toilet at No 50 ward. Both men and women can use this toilet maintaining discipline.” Also read: DPDC blames delay in launching Dhanmondi underground cable project on DSCC, hails DNCC cooperation The DSCC mayor also said they have a plan to rehabilitate the homeless and floating people. Dhaka-5 constituency lawmaker Kazi Monirul Islam and DSCC chief executive officer Farid Ahamed were, among others, present at that time.

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh on Tuesday asked the standing committee on market price control of the city corporation to expand their monitoring activities.  “DSCC has formed a standing committee on Market price observation, monitoring and controlling for the first time, and already the committee conducted drives in many markets and kitchen markets,” Taposh said. The DSCC mayor revealed this information while addressing a views-exchange meeting at the Nagar Bhaban on Tuesday. Also read: Enough stock of edible oil to keep the price stable: Tipu

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) fired assistant engineer of the DSCC’s Waste Management Department AHM Abdullah Harun on graft charges for embezzling Tk 12 crore. An office order, signed by Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Fazle Noor Taposh, in this regard was issued on Tuesday. Read:DPDC blames delay in launching Dhanmondi underground cable project on DSCC, hails DNCC cooperation According to the office order, AHM Abdullah Harun paid extra bills without completing the work according to the approved design. Besides, irregularities were detected in the waste dumping work in 6-km area from Kamalapur TT para to Kadamtali area under Padma Bridge rail link project and different newspapers carried reports over the irregularities in the tender process.

Tormented by mosquito menace, the city dwellers continue to blame the city authorities for not doing enough to save them from mosquito-borne diseases, particularly Dengue. The mosquito menace is a major issue in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) as elsewhere in the capital. Despite DSCC's claim of conducting mosquito control drives regularly, the city dwellers are not getting relief from the torment of mosquitoes. According to residents of DSCC, the city corporation has not been able to destroy the breeding grounds of mosquitoes. Like the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), the people in the south city area have failed to protect themselves even after using mosquito nets, mosquito coils, electric bats, and mosquito repellent sprays. The problem during the daytime is relatively tolerable but it becomes unbearable at night in home, office-court, educational institutions. Read: DSCC conducts drive against Aedes mosquito as dengue cases rise The city’s worst-hit areas include Malibagh, Rampura, Banasree, Meradia, Goran, Khilgaon, Jatrabari, Sayedabad, Dhanmondi, Old Dhaka, Fakirapul, Arambagh, Paltan, Motijheel, Kamalapur, Maniknagar, Basabo, Mugda, Khilgaon, Dholaikhal, Kuril, Mir Hajaribag, Shyampur, Kamrangirchar, Sutrapur, Mohammadpur and Hazaribagh.

Amid a growing concern over  spike in Dengue cases, 264 new patients were hospitalized across the country in the last 24 hours till Tuesday morning. Of the new dengue cases, 248 were reported in Dhaka while 16 were from outside the capital, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Read:Anti-dengue drive: City corporations raise Tk 8.6 lakh in fines According to the (DGHS), 1072 patients are currently receiving treatment at different hospitals across the country. A vast majority of the dengue patients are from Dhaka as only 47 of them were reported being treated in hospitals outside the capital. Some 3,446 patients have been admitted to different hospitals with dengue since January and 2,370 of them have been released after they recovered. The outbreak of dengue fever has sparked new worries as the country’s health services are already overburdened with increasing Covid cases and fatalities. To eradicate dengue larvae in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) areas a control room was opened from Monday. Read: Dengue spike:287 more hospitalized in 24 hrs On Monday, Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation in separate drives filed 27 cases and fined different houses and establishments Tk 8.57 lakh for breeding Aedes larvae in the city. Some 11 mobile courts conducted the drives in Green Road, New Eskaton, Malibagh Bazar, Phool Bagh, West Islambagh, Chawkbazar, Dhalpur, Golapbag, Amulia, Dogar, Kadamtali, South Banasree areas of the city. The DGHS reported 1,193 dengue cases and three confirmed dengue-related deaths in 2020. According to official statistics, 101,354 dengue cases and 179 deaths were recorded in Bangladesh in 2019. Read: Dengue alert: CU survey team finds Aedes larvae at 15 spots in Chattogram Dengue fever was first reported in Bangladesh in 2000, claiming 93 lives that year. In the years that followed, the country learned to deal with the disease much better. The fatalities had almost fallen to zero at one stage, before surging again in 2018, leading to the severe outbreak the following year.

Some areas of the two city corporations in Dhaka, Chattogram, Narayanganj, Narshingdi and Gazipur district have been marked as ‘Red zones’ to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Abu Bakar Mollah with a pale face was sitting idle on a footpath in Old Dhaka the other day. He is one of those poor street vendors whose livelihoods have been devastated by the COVID-19 fallout.

Amid the countrywide lockdown to curb transmission of coronavirus, the danger and irritation posed by mosquitoes has been ignored in both Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), city dwellers claim. 

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) on Friday delivered food items to the doorsteps of 2,221 city dwellers who feel embarrassed to receive those standing in queues for social dignity.