Chuadanga: Corruption in Bangladesh is said to be an all-pervasive menace. The country’s Anti-Corruption Commission itself finds it hard to deal with the graft.    

As corruption goes on everywhere, particularly in development works,   Chuadanga Municipality Mayor Obaidur Rahman Chowdhury Jipu has come up with his own idea to fight against the menace— monitoring development works in disguise. 

The mayor was recently found roaming around the streets in his municipality areas -- sometimes in the guise of a labourer, sometimes as a rickshaw-puller and sometimes as a construction worker or a farmer. 

Kamrul Haque, a construction worker who was working at Mahila College para of the municipality, said the disguised mayor was working with them wearing torn clothes and lungi, hiding his face with a cap and gamchha on Monday morning.

About an hour later, they recognised the mayor, he added. 

Another worker of Hajarhati village said the mayor worked for long hours with them in disguise, and carried sand and stones on his head with them. 

Asked why he was doing this, Mayor Jipu said he disguised himself and visited the sites to keep his eyes on the contractors of the latest development projects of the municipality so that no irregularities or corruption can take place. 

After its upgradation to Grade I, Chuadanga Municipality has got many big development projects which are now under implementation. The development works under the project of UGP-3 include road construction, development of drainage system and installation of streetlights in its nine wards, the mayor added. 

Claiming himself as a servant of the people, Obaidur Rahman said, there will be zero tolerance to any irregularities in the development projects here. 

The mayor’s idea of counteracting corruption in a different way has been highly praised by locals and his disguised activities have gone viral in the internet.

Terming it as an exemplary step, Abdul Gaffar, a resident of Chuadanga Municipality said, other public representatives can also follow him in countering corruption across the country allegedly by contractors. 

Chuadanga unit general secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujon) Prof Mahabul Islam Selim said this is definitely a good example of sincere effort to establish good governance if is not a show-off.