DSCC
Closing timings of hospital pharmacies to be revised: Taposh
The order to shutter hospital pharmacies by 2am may be reviewed and reconsidered following the requirements of the hospital authorities, said Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh on Wednesday.
DSCC authorities earlier ordered the hospital pharmacies to shut by 2 am considering the emergencies at the hospitals, which is rational, he told the reporters after inaugurating the city's Azimpur Foot over Bridge.
The move came as part of government’s austerity measures that include rationing of electricity amid fuel crisis.
However, the DSCC will consider extending the closing time of the hospital pharmacies or keeping those open for 24 hours a day following a written request from the busiest hospitals including Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), said the mayor.
“This will be fixed as per the necessities of those hospitals and the areas,” he added.
“But no one can proceed (conduct activities) beyond the schedule in any manner. Everyone has to follow the schedule."
Read: Pharmacies in Dhaka to remain open all day: Health Minister
Regarding the monitoring of the shops’ scheduled closure, Taposh said no law or policy can be strictly implemented or enforced without public involvement.
So this schedule will not be difficult to implement as the public accepted this spontaneously, he added.
On August 22, DSCC issued a notice allowing standalone pharmacies to remain open till 12am and those at hospitals till 2am to ration electricity.
Besides, the corporation asked malls, shops, kitchen markets and other business outlets in its areas to remain open till 8pm and restaurants and hotels till 10 pm. This order will be effective September 1.
On August 25, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said that the pharmacies in Dhaka will remain open 24 hours a day.
“We do not give any instructions regarding the closure of the pharmacies by midnight. We are in talks with the city corporations on this. Anyway, pharmacies can remain open for 24 hours,” he added.
Pharmacies in Dhaka to remain open all day: Health Minister
Pharmacies in Dhaka will remain open 24 hours a day, Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said.
“We do not give any instructions regarding the closure of the pharmacies by midnight. We are in talks with the city corporations on this. Anyway, pharmacies can remain open for 24 hours,” he told reporters, after a meeting at the Secretariat on Thursday.
Read:Hotels, restaurants to close by 10 pm: DSCC
Earlier on August 22, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) issued a notice allowing standalone pharmacies to remain open till 12am and those at hospitals till 2am to ration electricity.
Besides, the corporation asked malls, shops, kitchen markets and other business outlets in its areas to remain open till 8pm and restaurants and hotels till 10 pm. This order will be effective September 1.
Hotels, restaurants to close by 10 pm: DSCC
Shopping malls, shops, kitchen markets and business establishments under the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) will be closed by 8 pm while restaurants and hotels by 10 pm, with a view to save power.
This order will be enforced from September 1 and it will remain in force until further notice, said a public notice of DSCC.
The kitchens of the restaurants will be closed by 10 pm but they can supply food till 11 pm, it said.
Besides, movie halls and recreational establishments will be shut by 11 pm and pharmacies will be allowed to remain open till 12 pm and the pharmacies at hospitals till 2 am, according to the notice.
On June 17, the government directed the authorities concerned to take necessary steps to close shopping malls and kitchen markets by 8 pm to save energy.
Also read: Shopping malls, kitchen markets to close after 8pm
A letter, signed by Ahsan Kibria Siddiqui, director-general of the Prime Minister's Office (Administration), said that the Premier has instructed to take necessary steps to ensure that shops, shopping malls, kitchen markets, etc. are not kept open after 8 pm.
Dhaka mayors get minister status
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Atiqul Islam and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh have been given the status of minister.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina approved the new status of the two mayors of Dhaka, said a handout on Monday.
Besides, the Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) Mayor Selina Hayat Ivy and Chattogram City Corporation Mayor (CCC) Rezaul Karim Chowdhury were given the status of state minister.
Also read: Ex-Barishal Mayor Kamal dies
The authorities concerned have been asked to issue a gazette notification in this regard.
Also read: DNCC Mayor wants to get rid of electric rickshaws
DSCC conducts drive at Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital for non-payment of holding taxes since 1998-99
A team of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has conducted a drive at Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital as it has not paid the holding tax since the fiscal year 1998-99.
Holding tax is nothing but property tax paid to the local civic body annually.
A team led by DSCC Property Officer and Executive Magistrate Muniruzzaman conducted the drive to seal the hospital on Wednesday as it did not pay the holding tax dues of 24 years despite repeated notices.
This hospital has not paid DSCC the holding tax dues of Tk2.4 crore for 24 years, the civic body said in a release.
"Despite many notices and reminders for over a year, the hospital authorities failed to respond," said Muniruzzaman.
Also read: Zafrullah, 4 others sued over ‘negligence in treatment’ at Gonoshasthaya Kendra
"However, during the drive, the hospital authorities paid Tk10 lakh initially and promised to pay the remaining dues after consultation with the mayor," he added.
Also read: Gonoshasthaya plasma centre opened
DSCC launches control room to monitor Aedes mosquito eradication campaign
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has opened up a control room to keep the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes, the carriers of the deadly Dengue virus, in check through monitoring various activities, including special drives at households of Dengue patients and mobile court operation in Dengue-infested areas.
DSCC Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh inaugurated the control room on Sunday at about 10:00am.
After inaugurating the control room, Taposh instructed the ward councilors and regional executive officers of DSCC to carry out larvicide and adulticide campaigns in areas where according to DGHS data the dengue patients live.
“We’ll coordinate with DGHS and mark all the houses where dengue patients live. Then we’ll destroy each and every source of Aedes mosquito from these places. We’ll conduct a larvicide campaign in the morning and an adulticide campaign in the evening to clear these areas of Aedes mosquitos,” Taposh said.
Read: DSCC preparing integrated master plan to turn Dhaka into smart city, Tajul tells JS
Taposh added that the campaign will go on for at least two months.
“Our ward councilors have already started the ground work. We’ve identified 13 dengue patients in 13 wards since the morning. The whole project will be monitored from the control room,” added Taposh.
DSCC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Farid Ahmed, Secretary Md Aktaruzzaman, Chief Engineer Saleh Ahmed, Chief Medical Officer (Acting) Dr Fazle Shamsul Kabir, among others, were present at the event.
Wastes of sacrificial animals to be removed from 2:00pm: Taposh
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said on Sunday the corporation staff will start removing wastes of sacrificial animals from city streets from 2:00pm.
Taposh was speaking to journalists after attending the main Eid prayer at the National Eidgah premises in Dhaka.
“I’m requesting everyone to maintain hygiene and proper processes during sacrificing animals on this Eid. We, both the mayors of Dhaka city, will begin our job of cleaning the city from 2:00pm onwards,” said Taposh.
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Atiqul Islam asked the people of Dhaka city to help in managing the wastes.
“Please, put your wastes at a designated place. Our cleaners will collect it from there. I hope it won’t take much to remove the wastes if we can get everyone’s help,” said Atiqul.
Read: Complete qurbani by second day so cleaners too can enjoy Eid: Taposh
Complete qurbani by second day so cleaners too can enjoy Eid: Taposh
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh has called upon the capital's residents to get their sacrificial slaughters done by the second day of Eid ul Azha, set to be observed from Sunday.
He made the call while talking to journalists after observing the last-minute preparations for the Eid jamaat (congregation) at National Eidgah Maidan on Saturday.
“I urge the city dwellers to complete their qurbani (sacrificial slaughter) by the second day of Eid (Monday), not to wait for the third day as workers of the corporation will be removing animal waste from different spots for 72 hours continuously, and they too should get some rest and some time off to celebrate Eid themselves," Taposh said.
Elaborating on the massive clean up operation that will be taken up to allow people to enjoy one of the two biggest festivals in the Muslim faith, the Dhaka South mayor informed that the corporation’s workers would start cleaning up around the makeshift cattle markets (haats) from 11: 00pm tonight, and the first slaughter sites from 2pm on the day of Eid (tomorrow).
He hoped that the city corporation would be able to remove all wastes within 24 hours as earlier.
Taposh informed that all kinds of preparations have already been completed to hold the Eid jamaat at the National Eidgah Maidan where some 35,000 people will be able to pray together.
Also read: DSCC Control Room to oversee waste disposal on Qurbani Eid
Dhaka district Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Shahidul Islam, DNCC Chief Executive Officer Farid Ahamad, Secretary Akramuzzaman, Chief Engineer Saleh Ahmed and among others were present during the visit of the mayor.
DSCC working to improve Dhaka’s place in liveability index: Taposh
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh on Sunday said that his organization is working to improve Dhaka’s ranking in the Global Liveability Index published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
Taposh made the remark at a MoU signing ceremony at a city hotel this noon.
Taposh said that Dhaka has moved up four places in the global index, which shows that DSCC’s activities to turn the city into a livable place have proved to be effective.
“DSCC is continuously working to make the city’s situation better, which will result in more improvement in Dhaka’s position in the index,” said Taposh.
Also read: Dhaka world’s 7th least liveable city
Taposh added that the Water Development Board (WDB) has handed over the inactive sluice gates to DSCC at today’s event.
“We’ll start the maintenance works of these sluice gates from tomorrow. Senior Secretary of the Water Resources Ministry has said that these sluice gates are old-fashioned and can’t be activated. We’ll try our best to turn these sluice gates active,” said Taposh.
Attending the event as chief guest, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD) Minister Md Tazul Islam said that all the current bridges over Dhaka’s rivers will be demolished and new bridges will be built to make the rivers more navigable.
“The current bridges over various rivers in Dhaka aren’t suitable for navigation. We’ve already marked these bridges and provided directions to demolish them. Traffic pressure in Dhaka city will decrease once river routes are activated,” said Tazul.
Tazul added that the waterlogging problem has improved a lot under DSCC’s various measures this year.
“The two city corporations of Dhaka are conducting many initiatives since receiving the jurisdiction of various canals from Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA). Besides, the two city corporations are also recovering many illegal canals and places in the city. As a result, the waterlogging problem of Dhaka city has improved to a great extent,” Tazul added.
Also read: Steps taken for making rivers around Dhaka fit for navigation: Tajul
State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Faruk, State Minister for LGRD Swapan Bhattacharjee, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Md Atiqul Islam, and Senior Secretary of Water Resources Ministry Kabir Bin Anwar, among others, spoke at the event.
Anti-mosquito drive starts from Wednesday: Taposh
An anti-mosquito drive will be conducted in the DSCC area from Wednesday to control the spread of Aedes mosquitoes, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh has announced.
The drive will be conducted simultaneously in ten zones under DSCC, said Taposh while speaking at a program on mosquito control.
The drive will continue for the next four months, he said.
Read: 13 more dengue cases reported
“A major portion of Dhaka residents are well aware of the mosquitoes and they by themselves destroyed the breeding center of mosquitoes. But many people are not aware of the dengue menace and after repeated attempts, they did not perform their responsible duties. We should be stricter about them,” said Taposh.
He also urged all to notice every corner in alleys and roof gardens and destroy the breeding places of Aedes mosquito.