Helemul Alam

On a warm spring evening last week, Mohsin Ali, a resident of Mirpur-12, went to a local store to buy mosquito coils. Almost as if sensing his intentions and determined to deter him, a swarm of mosquitoes formed a cloud over his head, diving in at every chance.

The number of dengue patients admitted to hospitals this year is already around four times higher than that of last year during this time, although the rainy season is still two months away.

As experts warn of a record increase in Culex mosquito population next month, measures taken by the two Dhaka city corporations to check the blood-sucking insects appear inadequate.

Demolition of the much-talked-about BGMEA Bhaban -- constructed illegally over a decade ago -- began in full swing yesterday, after power connection was restored to the building.

As the newly-elected mayors of both Dhaka city corporations will have to wait for more than three months to take over duties, seniormost panel mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) will perform duties as mayor of the DNCC in the interim.

A 21-year-old DU student was raped and tortured in a notoriously dark stretch of the Airport Road in Kurmitola on the evening of January 5. The lone suspect, who was arrested a few days later, had allegedly raped and mugged other women near the spot in the past.

Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokon yesterday termed Awami League-nominated candidate Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh his brother.

As the capital is abuzz with campaigns for the city corporation polls, candidates are found using loudspeakers during the hours when it is not permitted by electoral rules.

With election to the Dhaka city corporations around a week away, ward councillor candidates are campaigning in full swing. However, most of them do not have any specific vision to develop their wards, if elected.

Good food is personal and far reaching at the same time. It creates a bond, sheds light on values that are important to us, and reveals the perspective and way of life.

Environmentalists yesterday termed the demolition of the much-talked-about BGMEA building a symbol of action against illegal structures that were constructed filling waterbodies or open spaces.

Women candidates for elections to the reserved ward councillor posts of two Dhaka city corporations don’t just want to be “ornamental councillors”; they want to make the city safer for women and have demanded a balance of power between them and their male counterparts so that they can serve people properly.

Speeding up mosquito control activities, proper waste management, repairing roads and solving waterlogging problems -- these are the main issues residents of newly-added wards expect to be solved by their mayor.

A week has passed since the 19-day election campaign for Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) polls officially kicked off on January 10, but activities of BNP candidates and their supporters are hardly noticeable compared to their Awami League counterparts.

As authorities concerned have failed to take any visible effective measure so far to control Aedes mosquito outside Dhaka, there is a huge risk of dengue outbreak this year.

While the two Dhaka city corporations often get flak for delay in development and other works or lacking in implementation of plans, a lot of those criticisms would sound rather harsh when one considers that there have been no new recruitment to the city corporations in over eight years -- since Dhaka City Corporation was split in two in 2011 -- and a large number of posts remain vacant.

With the aim to curb the mosquito population, the government is set to modernise the Mosquito Control Department.

While the government plans to restore Shuvadya Canal in Keraniganj with a Tk 1,200 crore project, one of its own departments appeared to be a major obstacle.

Though the U-loop project from Uttara to Saatrasta was undertaken with an aim to ease traffic congestion in Dhaka, it could not be completed over the last three years due to land-related complications.

After a short-lived respite from mosquitoes and dengue, residents of different parts of Dhaka are now again enduring the menace as the number of culex mosquitoes has been on the rise over last few weeks.