Kazi Zahidul Hasan :
Urban planners on Sunday urged the government to form a high-powered ‘coordination committee’ to solve the civic problems in capital Dhaka.
They observed that the two mayors in the bifurcated Dhaka city corporations are serious to solve the city’s existing civic problems. They are making endeavours to clean the city, reduce traffic snarl and remove water-logging. But they could not show much success in these areas during their first year into the office because the tasks are beyond their authority.
“Mayors may not fully comply with their promises and plans but they have made a good start,” Prof Nazrul Islam, a leading urban planner of the country, told The New Nation on Sunday.
Prof Islam came up with the observation when he was asked about the performance of the two mayors during their first year into the office.
“The mayors did well during their first year into the office and both of them had taken many praiseworthy steps,” he said, adding, “They have also sought experts opinion and held meetings with the community and citizens to resolve the city’s civic problems.
Prof Islam further said that they were serious about resolving the problems and came out to the streets when a problem has arisen. “But the activities of the elected councilors were not visible to remove the city’s civic problems and community development, and this could be regarded as a major failure to the mayors.”
“They have showed a little success in managing the city’s traffic anarchy and haphazard road digging and remove hawkers from the footpaths creating much frustration to the city dwellers,” he added.
The renowned urban planner said mayors are working diligently to improve the civic facilities in Dhaka but they could not improve much as the power is also vested to different other service bodies.
The mayors are not authorized to intervene operation of other utility service bodies like Wasa, Desa, T&T, Rajuk and Dhaka’s district administration. The prevailing situation has created a major drawback in managing the city affairs in an organised way.
“Decentralisation of power and coordination among different agencies is a must to make the city corporations effective and service-oriented,” he said, adding that if the power is not decentralized, the government should form a high-powered coordination committee under the Prime Minister’s Office so that all the relevant authorities come under a unified management system to provide services to the city dwellers in a coordinated manner.
“Mayors have made plethora of promises to improve things in this problem-ridden city. They are working for the better,” Mobasher Hossain, another urban planner and noted architect of the country told The New Nation on Sunday.
He said, both the majors have taken various programmes to clean the city, remove footpaths and bus stands from illegal occupation. They have also launched short, medium and long-term programmes to resolve these problems and improve services of the city corporations.
“But one year after getting two elected mayors for the first time to run the city, most of the civic problems, including traffic jam to open dustbins on thoroughfares, scarcity of public toilet to water shortage, remained as they were before due to lack of coordination among the concerned government agencies,” he observed.
Echoing Prof Nazrul, he also urged the government to form ‘coordination committee’ to manage the civic problems in capital Dhaka and run the city’s day-to-day affairs in an organised manner.
“Dhaka will be changed and ultimately it will be turned into a green city. We need time and help from all quarters,” Annisul Huq, Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), told The New Nation yesterday
He said Dhaka is one of the fastest growing mega cities in the world with as many as 15 million inhabitants. The city is now full of civic menace and it will take time to mange the city.
“We are working hard to resolve the city’s civic problems. We have taken programmes to clean the city and remove water logging,” Sayeed Khokon, Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) told The New Nation on Sunday night.
When asked, he said, “We are trying to coordinate with other stakeholders and hope we will be able to provide better services to the city-dwellers, but it will take time.”
