Don’t make every place like Dhaka

Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, yesterday urged authorities to take steps to ensure that rural areas have all necessary facilities, but are not turned into cities like Dhaka.

Addressing a national-level seminar at a city hotel as chief guest, he said, "Don't make all areas like Dhaka. Keep villages like villages. Preserve the characteristics of urban and rural areas."

Hamid believes that unplanned urbanisation has taken place in many areas of the country. Villages are turning into cities, cities are turning into megacities, he said.

Urbanisation has spread in Savar, Dhamrai, Keraniganj, and Gazipur areas. Rajuk has constructed housing projects in low-lying areas, the state minister mentioned.

There were many ponds in Gulshan, but previous governments filled those up and allotted plots there, he added.

The seminar for Bangladesh-German Technical Cooperation Project, titled "Geo-information for Urban Planning and Adaptation to Climate Change," was jointly organised by Geological Survey of Bangladesh; Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources; and The Federal Institute for Geoscience and Natural Resources, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Change, Germany.

Hamid stressed the need for a detailed area masterplan for every part of the country. He said it is the duty of the LGRD and housing ministries to prepare the masterplan.