Sammilita Nagarik Jote candidate Ariful Haque Chowdhury, racing for the Sylhet City Corporation mayoral post, on Monday pledged to turn
Sylhet into a model city if he was voted to power.
The 18-party alliance-backed candidate made the pledge from a press conference held at noon at his Shyamali Community Centre office at Zindabazar, where he placed an 11-point manifesto.
Arif said a committee, comprising city experts from home and abroad, would be constituted if he was elected SCC mayor.
‘The committee would work out a plan to develop the Sylhet city in the shape of modern cities of the world,’ he claimed.
Arif also vowed to keep Nagar Bhaban above all kinds of political activities and said steps to increase internal income would also be taken in order to lessen the city corporation’s dependence on the government grants.
‘My priority would be based on the need of the citizens and I would take short, medium and
long-term projects to address the problems facing the city,’ he said responding to a question of a reporter.
Sammilita Nagarik Jote convener Ataur Rahman Pir read out the 11-point manifesto on behalf of Arif, also a former president of the city BNP.
The main points of the election manifesto are building up a cyber city, addressing water stagnation, traffic congestion and transport crisis, drinking water crisis and improving the education and healthcare services in the city.
Former state minister for energy Mosharraf Hossain, former chairman of the erstwhile Sylhet Municipality AFM Kamal and the SNJ member secretary Abul Kaher Shamim also addressed the programme.
Meanwhile, Awami League presidium member Mohammed Nasim on the day sought vote in favour of Nagarik Committee mayoral candidate
Badar Uddin Ahmad Kamran.
At a news briefing at Taltala in the city, he sought support of all walks of citizen to complete the ongoing development projects, which were started by the outgoing SCC mayor Kamran.
AL central organising secretary Misbah Uddin Siraj in the programme alleged that a quarter was spreading rumor against Kamran that he was an ‘atheist’.
-With New Age input
