Nazrul Islam Monju, a politician and organiser, is currently serving as the administrator of the Khulna City Corporation (KCC). Previously, in 2009, he was elected a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Khulna-2 constituency as a candidate of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Before that, he served as the BNP’s Organizing Secretary for the Khulna Division. Following his appointment as KCC Administrator, he spoke with Bonik Barta about overcoming various challenges, transforming Khulna into a green city, ensuring public safety, and his future plans. The interview was conducted by Mostak Ahmed.

Before taking charge as the KCC administrator, you served as a Member of Parliament once. This is a completely different responsibility. What kinds of challenges are you facing?

This is a new challenge in my political career. As a public representative or Member of Parliament, the scope of work is much broader. In the case of a city corporation, the scope is comparatively smaller. Even then, once entrusted with a responsibility, it’s important to have the commitment to carry it out properly.

The City Corporation provides a wide range of civic services directly to the public. Hundreds of people come here every day for various needs. During the tenure of the previous government, there was a lack of transparency and accountability in the delivery of civic services. As a result, service seekers had long been frustrated and dissatisfied.

Since assuming office, I’ve initiated a fresh start. At the time of my appointment, the prime minister instructed me to formulate a plan to transform Khulna into a waste-free green city. I’ve been working accordingly.

It has now been three months since I assumed responsibility as the City Corporation Administrator. During this period, I’ve tried to understand the problems and expectations of the city’s residents and have worked accordingly. In the process of transforming Khulna into a green city, the biggest challenge is waste management.

In line with the prime minister’s directive, work is underway on this issue. One of the greatest obstacles is clearing waste from the city’s drainage system. At one time, Khulna had 22 canals of various sizes, which served as the city’s drainage network. Over the years, many of these canals became blocked. During the past three months, we’ve focused on cleaning these canals. As a result, the city’s drainage system is gradually improving.

There’s a risk of a dengue outbreak during the upcoming monsoon season. How prepared are you to prevent it?

The prime minister has instructed that waste shouldn’t be left in open areas, and we’ve been working accordingly. Drains are being cleaned regularly. As I mentioned earlier, the poor condition of the 22 canals had created breeding grounds for large numbers of mosquitoes. We therefore had to undertake mosquito-control measures. The removal of waste has made mosquito eradication efforts much easier.

This year, we procured genuine and quality-assured mosquito-control chemicals through a tender process. In the past, there were widespread irregularities in this area. Ensuring that such irregularities don’t recur was also a major challenge. Public awareness is equally important. We’re planning various awareness campaigns to prevent conditions that allow dengue-carrying mosquitoes to breed in households.

We’ll also continue working with local residents, religious institutions, social organisations, and community groups to identify and implement effective measures for tackling the problem. But we’ve already been able to significantly improve mosquito control by eliminating waste. We’ll maintain the same level of vigilance in preventing dengue.

Public safety has always been a major concern for residents of Khulna. The spread of drugs has also contributed to rising crime. What challenges exist in ensuring public safety, and how are they being addressed?

Public safety will remain a top priority. Building a safe and livable city is undoubtedly a new challenge for us.

Following the mass uprising of 2024, the capacity of the police and other law enforcement agencies declined considerably. During that period, drug trafficking and abuse spread extensively throughout Khulna city and its surrounding areas. Over the past one and a half to two years, more than one hundred murders have occurred across Khulna district and the metropolitan area. Crimes are still being committed, which is a matter of concern.

The activities of juvenile gangs have become a particularly serious problem. Most of the murders committed so far have been linked to the drug trade. At the same time, extortion has also increased.

The police are actively working to bring the situation under control. Recently, operations were conducted that resulted in the arrest of nearly 150 drug dealers. They’re preparing a new list of criminals and will continue their operations to suppress crime and terrorism, according to the police administration.

The government has plans to control the drug, and we’ve also submitted several proposals to the home ministry on this issue.

This is now a crucial period for the City Corporation. So we believe it’s necessary to establish community policing committees, alongside organising citizens’ meetings. Local patrols should also be introduced in every area. Even plans have been made for the rehabilitation of drug addicts.

Currently, there are no elected representatives in the local government structure. Does this create difficulties in operating the City Corporation?

The kind of governance that can be ensured through elected representatives is currently absent. Even then, City Corporation employees are now having to perform two sets of responsibilities. In addition to their regular administrative duties, officials are also carrying out tasks that would normally be handled by councillors. Since there are no elected representatives, these responsibilities have fallen on City Corporation staff.

But service delivery becomes much easier when elected councillors are in place. The current situation creates a new challenge. After assuming the role of Administrator, I identified these issues and began addressing them. My goal has been to ensure that people receive services within a short period of time.

City Corporation elections are expected to be held soon. Such elections are essential for the local government structure. With elected representatives in place, the scope of public service delivery can be expanded further. In addition, the government has already taken a number of positive initiatives to strengthen social safety net programmes.

When you assumed office, one of the major concerns was irregularities and corruption within the City Corporation. Public frustration over these issues had accumulated over time. Did you face any obstacles in addressing them?

On my very first working day after taking office, I met with City Corporation employees. During that meeting, I clearly informed everyone that irregularities would no longer be tolerated. Those who had previously faced allegations of misconduct were urged to reform their practices.

Most of the irregularities were in the Engineering Department. Complaints of corruption and irregularities were frequently raised regarding the Tax Department, the Sanitation Department, and the Licensing Department. We’ve placed these four departments under strict monitoring. Significant improvements have been achieved in these areas over the past three months.

Previously, brokers exerted considerable influence on the Licensing Department. Now, citizens can submit applications directly by completing forms online.

Major changes have also been introduced in the Tax Department. Every assessment holding has been reassessed. In the past, some individuals evaded taxes or avoided payment through political influence, while more taxes were imposed on the common people. We have worked to eliminate these disparities.

The Engineering Department had long faced allegations of tender manipulation and negligence in project implementation. We’ve now issued strict directives. If a contractor fails to deliver quality work, the company will be blacklisted. In some cases, payments may also be withheld.

To ensure the quality of development work, a monitoring cell has been established. These are some of the measures we’ve implemented over the last three months. Citizens are now beginning to benefit from the results.

City corporations receive millions of taka for development projects, yet many of these projects fail to deliver the expected results. Waterlogging remains a major problem in Khulna. What is the status of the projects undertaken to address waterlogging, and what new initiatives are you taking?

Yes, there has long been a lack of diligence in implementing City Corporation projects.

Let me address the issue of waterlogging. In the past, a project worth approximately BDT 14 billion was undertaken. But the funds weren’t utilised effectively. Only limited canal excavation was carried out, and drainage systems were constructed in an unplanned manner. As a result, even a small amount of rainfall would leave large parts of Khulna city submerged.

As I mentioned earlier, since assuming office, I’ve initiated the removal of illegal structures built on the 22 canals. Many individuals had used their influence to occupy canal land and construct multi-storey buildings. Those structures are now being demolished.

Large amounts of silt had accumulated in the drains, and those are being cleaned. I hope that city residents will begin to see the benefits during this year’s monsoon season. Waterlogging is expected to be significantly reduced compared to previous years.

We’ve also taken steps to develop a long-term solution through a comprehensive master plan. An agreement has been reached with WASA as well. Under this understanding, if WASA undertakes repairs or renovation work on any road or drain in the city, it’ll also be responsible for restoring the affected infrastructure afterwards.

The government already has policies regarding the protection of water bodies. To preserve 50 ponds within the city, the government has issued notices bringing them under the scope of the water body protection-related acts. We’ve taken measures to conserve open water bodies and ponds. We’re preventing any new attempts to fill in ponds and are ensuring their preservation.

Another major problem in Khulna city is that many roads have been raised in height. Around five years ago, when WASA undertook its sewerage project, consultants recommended raising the drainage system. Their argument was that the riverbed in front of the city had become elevated, making it necessary to raise the city’s drains as well.

But we believe this was a flawed approach. Instead, retention basins should have been created to collect water, which could then have been pumped out of the city. Rather than adopting that solution, roads and drains were elevated. As a result, the ground floors of many houses have been damaged and rendered unusable.

We’ll be much more careful in addressing such issues to ensure that city residents don’t suffer similar losses in the future.

The issue of waste management deserves further discussion. In the past, it was handled under an old framework. Are you taking any initiatives to redesign the system?

This is actually our biggest surprise initiative.

For the first time in Bangladesh, a waste recycling project is being launched in Khulna. Khulna City Corporation and the Asian Development Bank are jointly implementing the project with financial support from the latter. The project has an allocated budget of BDT 750 million.

The project is scheduled to begin trial operations on July 1. It’s expected to become fully operational by December. Once launched, it’ll be the country’s first waste recycling project.

The facility will process waste to produce fuel, fertiliser, and even polythene products. Initially, household waste from across Khulna city will be collected through a segregation system. After being transported to Secondary Transfer Stations (STSs), the waste will be sent to the waste treatment plant in Solua.

If the project proves successful, it can be replicated in other parts of the country. But the process, from waste collection to transportation to the treatment plant, remains challenging. We’re focusing on three key components: management, processing, and marketing.

Do you have any plans to improve road discipline, develop passenger-friendly public transportation, and ensure safer roads in Khulna?

Certainly. To improve discipline on the roads, we’ve already held meetings with transport owners. We’ve also consulted operators of easy bikes, trucks, engine-powered rickshaws, and traditional rickshaws.

We intend to implement the plans in several phases. Since the transport sector is closely tied to the livelihoods of low-income people, we don’t want anyone to lose their source of income. So, our first step will be to bring easy bikes under a more organised system.

Easy bikes licensed by the KCC will be colour-coded. Access for vehicles entering from outside the city will be regulated through the city’s eight entry points. This approach will help reduce the number of easy bikes operating within the city.

So far, we’ve issued licences to approximately 10,000 easy bikes. To make licensed vehicles easily identifiable, they’ll be painted in red or green.

We also have plans to make footpaths free of hawkers while simultaneously arranging rehabilitation measures for them. These initiatives are already part of our planning.

At present, however, reducing traffic congestion is the more urgent priority. So our development projects are placing particular emphasis on traffic management and congestion reduction. Both footpaths and roads must be improved in order to create a more attractive and functional urban environment.

Steps are also being taken to ensure affordable public transportation for city residents. Rather than introducing large buses as before, we intend to focus on operating minibuses. All of these measures must be implemented in a way that ensures public comfort, allowing people to travel smoothly from one place to another.

We also have plans to expand the city itself. Some wards currently contain between 30,000 and 40,000 voters. It’s difficult for a single City Corporation ward to provide adequate services to such a large population. So we want to comprehensively restructure the existing framework.

The unemployment problem is a major issue for the entire country. The government has, of course, assured job creation. In this regard, does the KCC have any plans for youth employment?

Yes, we do. The matter has already been reported to the government. We want to establish a language institute. In addition to computer training, we’ll organise various workshops. We’ve held meetings with the vice-chancellors of Khulna University and KUET. Discussions have taken place regarding the introduction of night diploma courses in these universities. These are now under their consideration. Khulna is a small city in terms of scale, yet we’re making strong efforts to establish institutions here. For example, we can establish a nursing institute. Through technical education, skilled nurses can be trained and sent abroad. These plans will be presented to the prime minister after the budget announcement.

Are there any plans regarding health and education management in Khulna?

Work has already begun in this regard. Recently, the health minister visited Khulna. At that time, we inspected all hospitals together. The education minister also visited, and we inspected educational institutions with him. A list of medical equipment required for Khulna Medical College and Khulna Sadar Hospital has been submitted to the health minister. He has assured that steps will be taken to supply these resources. We’ve already begun renovation work in educational institutions where buildings are damaged, where water leaks occur, or classrooms are in a fragile condition. A list is being prepared for this purpose.

For the livability of any city, open spaces and recreational facilities are essential. Parks, playgrounds, and open areas are necessary. But Khulna has a shortage of these. What are your plans in this regard?

During the previous government’s tenure, insufficient attention was given to sports. There’s a stadium, but matches aren’t held. Sports organisations became highly politicised. We want to move away from this culture and restructure the sports sector. Already, instructions have been received from the government that the sports minister will visit Khulna to inspect all available vacant spaces owned by the City Corporation, KDA, and other departments. Alongside ensuring sporting facilities, we want to encourage children to engage more in playgrounds and parks. We’ve already renovated several parks and installed lighting in some playgrounds.

Meanwhile, there’s a large area behind Khulna Textile Mills. We’ve requested that land. We plan to develop a park and garden there and possibly create something like a science city so that children and adolescents can learn there. These plans will soon be presented to the prime minister. We also want to plant trees in many riverbanks and encroached river-adjacent areas. We plan to build benches and roads so that people can visit and spend time there. We aim to beautify both the city and the riverbank.

Alongside physical exercise and healthy recreation, cultural engagement is also indispensable. Khulna once had many cinema halls, and there’s now a shortage of theatres. Do you have any separate plans for the cultural sector?

Yes, certainly. There’s the Zia Hall at Shibbari Mor. The hall has deteriorated. During the previous government’s tenure, it was damaged due to a lack of maintenance. Eventually, it was demolished. But we’ve submitted a project proposal to the government for its restoration. The government has approved an allocation of BDT 4.11 billion for this purpose. Now the implementation phase will begin. We plan to establish a library on one floor of the Zia Hall building. This has long been a demand of students in Khulna. There has also been a proposal to develop a Cineplex there. We don’t want to build old-style cinema halls. We have plans in this regard.

In general, Khulna’s cultural sphere has been quite weak for a long time. This has happened due to excessive politicisation. The City Corporation will support not only the cultural sector but all relevant stakeholders. National day celebrations, Rabindra Jayanti, Nazrul Jayanti, and all other cultural programs will be held at Shahid Hadis Park. We want to reorganise the cultural landscape. We aim to keep regular events at the Shilpakala Academy in Khulna so that people can attend and enjoy them.

Khulna has a long cultural heritage, which is a matter of pride. It’s also notable that Rabindranath Tagore’s house is near the city, and his in-laws’ residence is in Fultola. Ensuring recreation through culture is essential. Alongside building a safe and livable city, we also plan to develop it as a cultural city. We also want to build a museum. Soon, we intend to call a citizens’ meeting regarding Khulna City’s condition and expectations. We plan to continue our efforts based on the expectations of the citizens.

[This interview was originally conducted in Bangla and published in both the Print and Online editions of Bonik Barta. It has since been translated for the English edition.]