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Plagued by perennial problems, Dhaka and Chittagong -- our two major cities -- go to polls on April 28. What will a mayoral hopeful do to solve those problems if elected? How all the modern amenities will be ensured? What is his vision for the future of the city? 
Looking for the answers, The Daily Star has talked to a mayoral candidate.

It was a winter night a few years ago. Abdullah Al Kafee was crossing a footbridge at Farmgate in the capital. Suddenly, he saw a newborn down at the roadside. Wrapped in just a piece of thin cloth, the baby was shivering in the cold. The mother was lying nearby.

Kafee instantly vowed to work for ensuring home for all in the city if he ever got the chance, he told The Daily Star in an interview recently.

Backed by the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), he is now running for mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation.

"Around 45 lakh people live under the open sky or in slums of Dhaka. If elected, I will do my best to make sure that no one has to sleep on streets anymore,” said the candidate.

In 1984, Kafee joined Chhatra Union when he was an HSC student. He got admitted to Dhaka University two years later and became the chief of Chhatra Union's DU unit in 1991. He was also included in the student organisation's central committee.

Spending over 22 years in banking profession, Kafee became a member of the CPB last year.

"My main aim is to make Dhaka liveable for all. For this, I am in the mayoral race,” said the 48-year-old.

His electoral symbol is “elephant.”

Kafee described shortage of pure drinking water and public toilet, deteriorating quality of education and poor performances by the service providers as the main problems of Dhaka.

However, talking about the limitations of the corporation, the mayoral aspirant said 56 government bodies function inside the city corporation area.

“So, it is not possible for the city corporation to solve all the issues single-handedly. Rather, its main job is to bargain on the matters with the government,” he added.

"If elected, we will try to help the government implement its policies."

On a different note, Kafee claimed that the government primary schools in the capital are losing popularity due to poor educational facilities.

He promised that he would work to improve the quality of education in the institutions by ensuring that those would be run under the city corporation.

He also pledged to ensure pure drinking water and adequate number of public toilets in the capital.

Kafee's other major pledges include making Dhaka a safer place for women. “Much importance will also be given to proper health services for women,” he said.

"We will introduce nutrition allowance for poor pregnant women and arrange free health care services for newborns.”

Replying to a query, the mayoral hopeful said ensuring graft-free services for the city dwellers was high on his agenda.

"We want to establish a corruption-free city corporation administration. If corruption is checked, the corporation's revenue earning will increase by 30 to 40 percent and the extra amount could be used in the public interest,” he added.

Also president of CPB's youth front Jubo Union, Kafee wishes to bring the entire Dhaka city under Wi-Fi coverage. “If the ICT sector flourishes, more employment opportunities will be created for our youths,” he said.

The left-wing activist also promised to provide loans to young entrepreneurs, if elected, so that they could chase their dreams.

Talking about the Election Commission, Kafee said it must play a strict role in preventing the use of black money and muscle power and all other illegal activities to ensure a free and fair polling on April 28.