An unplanned, overcrowded Dhaka
It does not take much research work to tell us that Dhaka has lost its urban character. The city has become a place where every element of life - earth, water and air- has been poisoned. The land is strewn with garbage while the rivers and waterways are choked with plastic bags. The streets are buckled, the footpaths broken, the air thick and un-breathable. To look out at our capital, is to be greeted by a bleak sprawl of shoddily constructed buildings. There does not seem to be any planning behind the way the city is growing.
Dhaka is already the most densely populated city in the world. And each year about half a million people - more than the population of Maldives - come to the city to live. They provide valuable services to the city dwellers. An estimated 2 million garment workers live here. What kind of facilities have we provided to them? From time to time, authorities demolish slums and evict street vendors. But they return with nowhere else to go. Do the authorities expect a better outcome without having a plan to rehabilitate them?
It is high time policymakers thought about long-term solutions. A team of eminent urban experts have recommended that Rajuk should implement Dhaka's detailed Area Plan (DAP) which stipulates the kind of establishment that can be set up in a particular area. There should be a unified authority, as recommended by the Strategic Transport Plan 2006, to look after the planning, development and management of Dhaka's roads. Also, the Dhaka Structure Plan (2016-2035) which covers 15 important aspects of the living standards of the city should be put into action.
But most importantly, political, administrative and fiscal decentralisation should take place to ease the pressure on Dhaka.
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