Kamruzzaman Bablu :
Although the two Dhaka city corporations have removed a lot of illegal billboards and other shabby structures from different city areas, many of them are yet to be removed, causing a threat to life and property of the city dwellers.
Taking this chance, the newly announced committee leaders and their supporters of ruling Awami League’s Dhaka Metropolitan organizing unit have resorted to a campaign for congratulations by using these commercial billboards free of cost.
In recent years, a number of pedestrians have lost their lives and many others received injuries following the collapse of billboards, particularly the shabby ones.
Sources said, at least 15 persons have been killed in last ten years in the city since 2006. In 2015, ruling party MP Haji Mohammad Selim sustained minor injuries when a mega billboard collapsed on his vehicle in front of Ramna Tennis Club in the capital. Actually having no proper monitoring of two city corporations, billboard businessman so long had grabbed the beauty of the city.
The rights activists expressed their concern over the safety of city dwellers, saying people are still in serious risk as the weak billboard structures stand against the blue backdrop of the sky.
Urban planners also claimed that if those structures are not immediately removed, storms could turn them into death traps during this nor’wester.
Asked to say, Yusuf Ali Sardar, Chief Revenue Officer of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) asserted that they would make immediate sweep against the remaining billboards.
However, there is no actual data at the two city corporations that how many legal or approved commercial billboard structures are there. But without permission of city authorities no body can run billboard in city area, according to the city corporation law.
An official of DSCC told The New Nation that, “Dhaka North has nearly 1,500 approved billboards while there are 476 approved structures in the South. But most of those steel frames are in shabby condition.”
In a recent visit to different areas of the city, this
reporter found weak billboard structures at Mirpur-10 intersection, Mirpur-1, Taltola, Agargaon, Farmgate, Tejgaon, Jigatala, Dhanmondi, Sahbagh, Purana Paltan, Mouchak, Malibagh, Mogbazar and Mohakhali areas. Around 60 per cent of steel support structures of those billboards have already been half-damaged.
Ashraf Khan, a resident of Jigatala area said, “There are some billboards in front of Dhanmondi Police Station which are in shabby condition. There is no guarantee of safety regarding those billboards.”
“The city corporation has taken steps to remove those, but they should prioritize the risky and weak structured billboard frames,” he added.
“I am not directly involved in this campaign process. Some of our associate organisations may have done this. But one thing I can say is that it will eventually turn out to be a very cost effective promotion for us,” a newly nominated leader of Dhanmondi Thana Awami Leauge told The New Nation.
“Publishing one million posters will cost around Tk 6 million to Tk 10 million. Many city dwellers never care to look at a poster. But everyone reads the messages on a billboard,” he added.
On the other hand, in the process it does not care to take permission from the advertisement agencies or the advertisers. It just grabbed the billboards wherever it chose to. It is an illegal act, but since they are in power, they did not bother, said the AL leader.
City dwellers said nearly all the billboards in the city have been occupied by the ruling party leaders. They have seen that some of the billboards have been grabbed since last week.
Seeking anonymity, another billboard businessman said: “Not only this time; after the government won the maritime boundary dispute with Myanmar a few years ago, we faced the same problem. Chhatra League, Jubo League and even Krishak League grabbed most of the billboards at that time.”
Preferring not to be named, a former Chhatra League leader from the Jagannath University and now a billboard businessman, told this reporter: “The government can achieve absolutely nothing from this project. On the contrary, it may tarnish the image of the government.”
Although the two Dhaka city corporations have removed a lot of illegal billboards and other shabby structures from different city areas, many of them are yet to be removed, causing a threat to life and property of the city dwellers.
Taking this chance, the newly announced committee leaders and their supporters of ruling Awami League’s Dhaka Metropolitan organizing unit have resorted to a campaign for congratulations by using these commercial billboards free of cost.
In recent years, a number of pedestrians have lost their lives and many others received injuries following the collapse of billboards, particularly the shabby ones.
Sources said, at least 15 persons have been killed in last ten years in the city since 2006. In 2015, ruling party MP Haji Mohammad Selim sustained minor injuries when a mega billboard collapsed on his vehicle in front of Ramna Tennis Club in the capital. Actually having no proper monitoring of two city corporations, billboard businessman so long had grabbed the beauty of the city.
The rights activists expressed their concern over the safety of city dwellers, saying people are still in serious risk as the weak billboard structures stand against the blue backdrop of the sky.
Urban planners also claimed that if those structures are not immediately removed, storms could turn them into death traps during this nor’wester.
Asked to say, Yusuf Ali Sardar, Chief Revenue Officer of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) asserted that they would make immediate sweep against the remaining billboards.
However, there is no actual data at the two city corporations that how many legal or approved commercial billboard structures are there. But without permission of city authorities no body can run billboard in city area, according to the city corporation law.
An official of DSCC told The New Nation that, “Dhaka North has nearly 1,500 approved billboards while there are 476 approved structures in the South. But most of those steel frames are in shabby condition.”
In a recent visit to different areas of the city, this
reporter found weak billboard structures at Mirpur-10 intersection, Mirpur-1, Taltola, Agargaon, Farmgate, Tejgaon, Jigatala, Dhanmondi, Sahbagh, Purana Paltan, Mouchak, Malibagh, Mogbazar and Mohakhali areas. Around 60 per cent of steel support structures of those billboards have already been half-damaged.
Ashraf Khan, a resident of Jigatala area said, “There are some billboards in front of Dhanmondi Police Station which are in shabby condition. There is no guarantee of safety regarding those billboards.”
“The city corporation has taken steps to remove those, but they should prioritize the risky and weak structured billboard frames,” he added.
“I am not directly involved in this campaign process. Some of our associate organisations may have done this. But one thing I can say is that it will eventually turn out to be a very cost effective promotion for us,” a newly nominated leader of Dhanmondi Thana Awami Leauge told The New Nation.
“Publishing one million posters will cost around Tk 6 million to Tk 10 million. Many city dwellers never care to look at a poster. But everyone reads the messages on a billboard,” he added.
On the other hand, in the process it does not care to take permission from the advertisement agencies or the advertisers. It just grabbed the billboards wherever it chose to. It is an illegal act, but since they are in power, they did not bother, said the AL leader.
City dwellers said nearly all the billboards in the city have been occupied by the ruling party leaders. They have seen that some of the billboards have been grabbed since last week.
Seeking anonymity, another billboard businessman said: “Not only this time; after the government won the maritime boundary dispute with Myanmar a few years ago, we faced the same problem. Chhatra League, Jubo League and even Krishak League grabbed most of the billboards at that time.”
Preferring not to be named, a former Chhatra League leader from the Jagannath University and now a billboard businessman, told this reporter: “The government can achieve absolutely nothing from this project. On the contrary, it may tarnish the image of the government.”
