Another disclosure is that traffic jams is wasting around 3.2 million working hours of city dwellers every day and the quality of city life is fast deteriorating from growing air pollution and waterlogging which is about to hit rock-bottom at all levels in less than a decade. It is not anything new that has come for discussion and suggestions were also hefty how to improve the situation to keep the city livable in near future.
But the fact is that our development plans and city development plan in particular is loaded with big budget for huge expenditure but efficient use of the fund is missing because of inefficiency and corruption at all levels of the city government institutions like WASA, City Corporations, RAJUK, Water Development Board and so on. Spending money is not development; which can only make few holding political power and working at high place of the government wealthy. Inclusive development means changing situation in the ground and implementation of development plans that brings improvement of people’s life. Unfortunately our government, leaders and bureaucrats are living lavish life and going on expensive foreign trips while the city dwellers have been left to suffer from poor traffic system, waterlogging and blocked sewerage system.
The city population will grow to 35 million in the next 20 years and if our failure continues the city life is likely to collapse. Dhaka has already partially collapsed from overcrowded streets and traffic congestion. But there is nothing visible that can bring big change to face future challenge.
We suggest decentralizing the capital, as experts have pointed out to begin immediately. City environment must be carefully protected, land grabbing stopped and canals for water drainage be recovered from illegal occupation. Government office must be shifted outside the city and industries must go at rural level so that people get jobs at their locality without the need for moving towards the cities.
We must have a government that thinks and works for the people. The Mayors of the two City Corporations must prove their high promises with parallel actions and drastic change in the quality of leadership to take challenge for future.
