NO PROMOTION, NO TERMINATION, How Two DNCC Officials Remained ‘Probationers’ for Decades Amid Manipulated Recruitment

Probation Forever: Two DNCC Officials Remain in Limbo for Decades Amid Rigged Recruitment

The probationary period is the initial phase during which new recruits are evaluated for their suitability in a job. Typically lasting six months—and not exceeding two years—it determines whether an employee is confirmed in service or dismissed based on performance.

Yet defying all norms and exposing deep-rooted dysfunction, two taxation officers of the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) have remained “probationary officers” for an astonishing 29 and 19 years respectively.

The officials in question are Imama Khanam and Mizanur Rahman. Imama joined as a probationary tax officer on August 3, 1996, and Mizanur followed on October 18, 2006.

According to Section 6(1) of the Dhaka Municipal Corporation Service Rules, 1989, a newly recruited officer must serve as a trainee for six months, extendable by another six months. But in these two cases, the rule appears to have been flagrantly ignored.

Imama Khanam was never assigned meaningful duties, never received a salary increment, and was never promoted. In fact, her salary was withheld on several occasions. A fact-finding team from the then undivided Dhaka City Corporation found that she lacked the minimum qualifications for her post. Yet, she was never terminated.

On January 13, 2004, a recruitment advertisement for 49 positions was published in Dinkal newspaper by the undivided DCC. On October 18, 2006, 47 handpicked individuals were appointed—Mizanur among them.

Sources allege the entire recruitment process that day—from exams and results to committee meetings and appointment letters—was wrapped up within four hours. Documents were reportedly forged to facilitate immediate joining.

Among those hired were sons of prominent BNP leaders: Md Shami Faisal, ASM Hasanuzzaman, Khaled Saifullah, and Mizanur Rahman himself, son of metropolitan BNP leader Mojibur Rahman.

Several DNCC officials admitted there's no legal provision to keep someone on probation for decades. One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “If a probationer is underperforming, they should be dismissed. Keeping someone in this suspended state for decades is unjustifiable.”

Despite documented underperformance, neither Imama nor Mizanur were dismissed. A DNCC committee even found that Imama was ineligible for her post—but still no termination followed. “No one wants to take responsibility,” the official said.

In an interview with Daily Sun on July 8, Imama Khanam recounted, “Four of us were appointed in 1996. I topped the recruitment exam. The others have been promoted and retired, but I remain stuck where I started.” She blames two colleagues for vindictive obstruction, claiming she resisted corruption and irregularities.

Imama said she filed eight legal cases seeking regularisation—but to no avail. According to DNCC documents, she was appointed a trainee on July 31, 1996, and joined on August 3. Her probation was extended for six months.

She was later accused of negligence and insubordination in May 1998. Though she was warned in September that year, no formal disciplinary action followed. She submitted requests for confirmation in 1999 and again in 2006, but was repeatedly denied. The zonal executive officer's inquiry concluded she was unfit for permanent appointment under Rule 6(1).

On September 7, 2007, the mayor ruled that Imama lacked the qualifications for her post and that her performance was unsatisfactory—rendering her ineligible for regularisation. In 2010, the mayor even ordered her dismissal. Yet she remained in service, with periodic salary freezes and increment suspensions as the only consequences.

Sources claim some probationers facing dismissal managed to bribe officials to avoid termination.

Dr Tofail Ahmed, former head of Public Administration at Chittagong University and chair of the Local Government Reform Commission, told Daily Sun, “Those responsible for these irregularities should be held accountable. Most city corporation recruitments are politically influenced and riddled with corruption. Laws are routinely ignored. That’s why such absurd situations arise—some benefit while others suffer.”

Mizanur Rahman, meanwhile, maintains his innocence. He said some deputy tax officers had filed writs seeking promotion, while he and others applied for direct recruitment. “Yes, there were allegations of anomalies in recruitment, but I wasn’t involved. My peers have been regularised after legal battles. I’m still waiting.”

Dr Tofail added that the Reform Commission has recommended a sweeping overhaul of local government service, including the creation of a local government cadre and staff transfers among city corporations.

DNCC Administrator Mohammad Azaz, when contacted, said he was unaware of the issue and would investigate.