After remaining closed for 40 consecutive days, the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) head office, Nagar Bhaban, has finally reopened.
The main gate of Nagar Bhaban was opened on Sunday morning. From around 9 AM, several DSCC officials and employees entered the premises, and limited civic services have resumed inside the building.
This development marks a partial resolution to the operational standstill that began on May 14. However, full normalcy has yet to return to Nagar Bhaban’s operations.
The prolonged disruption stemmed from protests by BNP leaders, activists, and some city corporation employees demanding that Ishraque Hossain be appointed as the mayor of DSCC. The protest effectively halted services at the head office for about one and a half months.
According to two DSCC officials, some employees entered their respective departments and resumed work from the morning, although many did not report to the office. Emergency departments have started functioning gradually.
Citizens have begun gathering at Nagar Bhaban, particularly to access essential services such as birth and death registration. Some people have complained that full services have yet to resume, though they acknowledged that the situation has improved compared to previous days.
A security guard stationed at the gate stated that they had received instructions in the morning to open the building, allowing officials to return. He noted that after a long time, a sense of normalcy is returning to the DSCC head office.
One DSCC official mentioned that the protest has not officially ended, but the demonstrators have shown some flexibility, considering the suffering of the city residents. As a result, Nagar Bhaban has been reopened to facilitate essential public services.
While officials from other departments returned to work, offices of the engineering division remained locked. Even the office of the DSCC administrator was found locked.
It was also learned that operations have resumed at DSCC’s ten regional offices outside Nagar Bhaban. However, engineers have not yet returned to their workstations in those locations either.
A DSCC engineer, who preferred to remain anonymous, stated that he was present around the Zone-5 office in the Sayedabad area but was still unsure whether to enter. He explained that although the protestors announced the resumption of services across departments on Sunday, they did not specifically clarify whether the engineering division would reopen. As a result, many are still assessing the situation.
The dispute originated after the election tribunal on March 27 annulled the mayoral victory of Awami League candidate Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and declared BNP’s Ishraque Hossain as the new mayor of Dhaka South. The Election Commission published the gazette confirming Ishraque’s appointment on April 27. However, the refusal to administer Ishraque’s oath of office triggered the ongoing protest.
