Engineer does health officer’s job for five years amid manpower crisis in Cumilla city

Cumilla City Corporation has been operating with a severe manpower shortage, forcing an engineer to carry out the duties of health officer for the past five years as the post remains vacant. The corporation, established in 2011 with 220 staff, now runs with just 67 employees against an official strength of 242. This shortfall has left over two-thirds of the posts empty, affecting essential services for more than 1.2 million residents across 27 wards. Newly appointed administrator Md Shah Alam said the crisis had been reported to the ministry. “We are trying our best to resolve the shortage within two months,” he added. The region’s first administrative institution was the Cumilla Municipality, founded in the mid-18th century. In 2011, the...