Waterlogging, food safety Manjur's main concerns in 54-point manifesto

BNP-blessed mayor aspirant M Manjur Alam of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) polls declared his 54-point manifesto yesterday, pledging to create a healthy and environment-friendly city by reducing waterlogging and ensuring food safety. 
He pledged undertaking income-generating activities and cost effective, innovative and useful projects to generate employment, especially for youths, who would be imparted training so that they themselves can come up with social businesses, defined by Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus. 
On waterlogging, he assured installing sluice gates at places like Agrabad, CDA, Halishahar, Bakalia and Bahaddarhat through which water enters during high tides. 
Assistance will be sought from Asian Development Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency to implement a master drainage plan, a Tk 297 crore canal excavation project of which, approved by Ecnec last year, will be quickly implemented, he said.
Steps will also be taken to quickly implement a dredging project of the Chittagong Port, he added.  
He pledged setting up laboratories to check food adulteration and said priority would also be given on installing police check posts at the city's entry points. 
The manifesto also includes promises for constructing new playgrounds, ensuring safe water, implementing an integrated waste management and disposal package which includes electricity generation, rehabilitation of beggars, physically challenged and transgender people and those living in risky hill slopes. 
Addressing the announcement programme at a community centre in Chittagong city, he claimed that the short-term plans of his previous tenure had been implemented, mid-term ones were running and long-term ones were placed for government consideration.
Talking to journalists, he said he believed in reality rather than making boundless pledges and portraying dreams only to confuse people.
Prof Abul Kalam Azad, convener of Chattagram Unnayan Andolon, read out the manifesto. 
Liberal Democratic Party President Col (retd) Oli Ahmed, who was present, earlier accompanied Manju in his campaigns, saying it was to save the country from "autocratic rule" and that a neutral and peaceful election was not possible without army deployment.
They went around Aturar Depot, Jangal Para, Hazi Para, Chalitatoli, Noyahat, Ananya Abashik and Quaish Road areas.