implementation of Clean Dhaka Plan from Feb

Under the plan, the DCC will train people and form ward monitoring committee under the supervision of ward commissioner.

Participation of the community in the clean-up drive and direct monitoring by the DCC are a must for keeping the city free from garbage, experts said at a seminar yesterday.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

The DCC officials hoped that the city garbage would be well managed by 2015 under the Master Plan, with technical support from Japan International Cooperation Authority (JICA).

"I would like to request all to understand our situation and give us long-lasting support to achieve our goal of 'Green and Clean Dhaka by 2015'," said Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka as the chief guest.

The seminar on 'Approach to Clean Dhaka Master Plan' was held at a city hotel.

The JICA experts said the community members usually do not take part in the garbage management, which makes the authority's task difficult.

They also pointed out the lack of coordination among the departments in this regard.

"We found both the authority and the community complaining against each other about their lack of responsible attitude," said Junko Okamoto, a JICA expert.

Presenting a study report on garbage management, the JICA experts said that the cost of waste disposal will be much less under the master plan. At present, the authority spends about Tk 48 crore on garbage disposal a year.

Now it costs Tk 930 for disposal of a ton of garbage, but the expenditure will come down to Tk 630 under the new system, said O Hara.

The DCC has already been implementing a pilot project in Ward No. 6 and Ward No. 65.

The mayor said a new waste management division would be set up under the Conservancy Department of DCC after getting the go-ahead from the government.