Pressure on Dhaka will have to ease up: Taposh
Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Shiekh Fazle Noor Taposh yesterday asked all utility service providing organisations to inform all their development projects to DSCC by October 1, to bring all work under coordination.
Addressing a programme at a city hotel, the mayor said if any organisations failed to inform them, they will have to wait one more year to implement it.
The meeting was organised by Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) on identifying the challenges to building a modern city and taking necessary action plan.
Taposh said, "You will be able to implement your project after submitting its plans to the city corporation but you will not be allowed to dig the same road three times."
He said, "Do not come with lobbying to implement your works without submitting your development project schedule."
"No matter who will be the financier -- World Bank, ADB or GoB -- I will not let any project be implemented without coordination," he said.
About the drainage master plan in 2016, the mayor questioned that since the master plan was prepared in 2016 Wasa, but what kind of step has been taken for implementation so far?
Strategic Transport Plan has also been prepared but what kind of measure has been taken so far for its implementations by the BRTA, he asked.
Urging LGRD minister Tajul Islam to do a population plan in Dhaka city, the mayor said if civic facilities can be developed in cities like Gazipur, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Manikganj and Narsingdi, the pressure on Dhaka will reduce.
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh, please do not make it a slum, he said.
"We will ensure all civic facilities in Dhaka but thinking [everyone must] stay in Dhaka will have to stop," he said.
DSCC mayor also said they have to ensure low cast habitation facilities outside the rivers surrounding the capital to reduce pressure on the city.
LGRD minister Tajul Islam, who presided over the meeting said the country is like an umbrella where different organisations like city corporations, municipalities, Rajuk are there.
"City corporations want to get canals and drainage systems of the city under their jurisdiction, but I have to hand it in such a way so that city corporations can do their work properly to solve the waterlogging problem," he said.
"We have to see where the strength of the city corporations will have to increase, where they need support. City corporations across the world are doing this work," he said.
Among others, DNCC mayor Atiqul Islam, Gazipur City Corporation Mayor Md Jahangir Alam and Senior Secretary of Local Government Division Helal Uddin Ahmed also addressed the meeting.