Govt planning population density zoning for Dhaka
Says LGRD minister
The government is planning population density zoning in the capital based on the size of an area and civic facilities, said LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam yesterday.
Density zoning places limitations on property development by controlling the number of structures in a given area to control population density. It is used in town planning as a tool to either increase density or maintain a low density in an area of the city.
The minister made the comment at a views-exchange meeting with journalists at his official residence in the capital, marking his two years as the LGRD minister.
"We have to think whether we will allow too many high-rises as it is important to ensure civic facilities like playground, roads, greeneries, waterbodies, schools and utility services for residents of a particular area," said the minister, who is the convener of 20-year Detailed Area Plan preparing cabinet committee.
"We have to be calculative and determine the density of an area based on civic and utility facilities of the areas. We are holding meetings with the stakeholders in this regard to prepare the DAP," he said.
He sought help from journalists and people from all walks of people to implement the plan.
Responding to a question about the recent handover of the drainage system to the two city corporations from Wasa, he said it is not easy to recover canals from encroachers and keeping those free of encroachment. Public representatives can play a vital role in this regard, said the minister.
He also alleged that he took the initiative before but the previous DSCC mayor was not interested in it.
The minister said they will hold meetings with the two city corporations and other stakeholders to protect the waterbodies.
About rural infrastructure, the minister said whenever they hear complaints about lax monitoring or poor quality of work, they are taking steps against it.
He said they have also prepared a guideline for road infrastructure in rural areas. A rural road will have to be at lest 10 feet in width -- a road at union level will be 12 feet in width and at upazila parishad level 16 to 20 feet in width as per the guideline, he said.
Quality of work will increase when it will be done based on the guideline; the guidelines will be published as a gazette, he said.
About mosquito control, the minister said they had taken different initiatives to destroy mosquito breeding grounds for which the number of casualty from dengue was very low last year.