The last day of November 2018 marked the first death anniversary of iconic figure Annisul Huq who in his short life span (65 years) had pursued diverse careers in media, business and public service and found enviable success wherever he went. Being the visionary he was, he always understood the pulse of his audience as a media person, of clients as a businessman and of the city dwellers as the mayor of Dhaka North.
As a matter of fact, after successful stints in media and business, he appeared in the country’s political horizon when the country was in dire need of a bold and visionary leader. He was elected the mayor of Dhaka North in 2015. Soon he generated much hope and aspirations among the city dwellers by taking concrete steps to tackle all the major problems the city was/is facing. But who knew that his life would be cut so short and the ray of hope he offered would fade away?
On the occasion of his 1st death anniversary several media outlets, including this daily, investigated on the state of initiatives that he had kick-started. Sadly, it was found that no progress has been made after his death to implement his dream projects. In some cases the progress he had made has been reverted after his death.
For example, he had evicted the illegal truck stands from several areas including Tejgaon, Mohakhali and Abdullahpur. But now illegal parking returned in these areas. He had rescued 52 acres of government land from illegal occupation in Gabtali area to build infrastructure such as truck parking station and waste recycling factory. But now the land is being re-occupied by influential quarters. On the other hand, there is no headway in implementing his development projects regarding city bus service, construction of U-loop etc.
The late mayor is particularly remembered for his courage of conviction to uphold public interest by warding off interest-seeking vested quarters. His untimely departure created a void and so far no one could fulfil it by being equally determined and unflinching to the cause of public interest. Hope somebody someday will fill in his shoes.
