RAJSHAHI, June 22, 2023 (BSS)- AHM Khairuzzaman Liton said all the pledges
given to the city dwellers before election will be fulfilled in phases as
they reelected him as Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) for the third
consecutive term.

After his landslide victory in Wednesday's RCC election he made the assurance
while talking to the journalists at his Rani Bazar political office in the
city last night.

"I will try my best to implement the development plans mentioned in my
election manifesto to reflect the hopes of aspirations of the city dwellers,"
Liton added.

According to an unofficial result last night signed by Delwar Hossain,
returning officer of RCC election-2023, Awami League-backed mayoral candidate
Khairuzzaman Liton bagged 1,60,290 votes against his nearest candidate
Murshid Alam of Islami Andolon Bangladesh, who got 13,483 votes.

Latif Anwar Hossain of Jaker Party got 11,713 votes while Jatiya Party
candidate Saiful Islam got 10,272.
 
According to the results, 56.20 percent of voters cast their votes in the
election while a total of 351,982 voters, including 180,972 women, exercised
their right of franchise in 1,153 rooms of the 155 polling centres in 30
wards till 4pm on Wednesday without any break.

Returning Officer also said 30 councilors were elected for general seats and
10 others, including one from transgender community, were declared elected in
women reserved seats in the election.

Newly-elected mayor Liton said he will seek support from Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina for development works and he has no capacity to do anything
without her support.

"I want to create fields of employment and go to the extreme to do the same,"
he said, adding that he has a plan of generating employment opportunities for
around 50,000 people.

As a whole, he said the employment generation issue will get priority in the
next five years.

Liton is intended to complete all the unfinished development works. "We will
expand the existing 96 square kilometer city area to around 350 square
kilometers consisting of the adjacent areas, including the char areas of the
Padma river," he added.
 
He has planned to reclaim around 12 square kilometres of char land of Padma
River for developing a river city adjacent to the city protection embankment.
 
As the river's main flow turned towards its right bank, the river city might
be built on the left bank.
 
Liton, son of one of the four national leaders AHM Qamaruzzaman, said the
part of the river near the left bank, where flood water remains for less than
a month every year, would be turned into a huge lake.
 
The lake would stand between the satellite town and the city protection
embankment and there would be a bridge to the newly developed city, he
continued.
 
"Rajshahi would be beautiful if we can properly execute the plan," Liton
said, adding that the city's accommodation problems will be eased as well.