The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) will launch a project soon to improve neighbourhoods in some parts of the capital, including Old Dhaka, which has been gripped with various problems, including lack of open space and recreation facilities, sources said.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the Dhaka Urban Upgrading Project on Tuesday, taken in this regard at a cost of US$ 106 million.
Under the project, different neighbourhood facilities will be improved in areas like Kamrangir Char, Lalbag, Sutrapur, Nayabazar, Gulistan, Khilgaon, Mugda and Bashabo.
These facilities include development and upgradation of multipurpose community centres, roads, streets, sidewalks, drainage, parks, open spaces, waterfronts, playgrounds, plazas, squares, green areas and markets.
Officials said these areas will also be designed to enhance resilience to natural disasters.
The World Bank (WB) has assured the government of providing $100 million for the project, and the WB board is expected to approve the fund in its next meeting.
An official concerned said the project is not that big, but there are challenges in its implementation.
The project areas are located in Old Dhaka, and include lands of some agencies, like the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Dhaka WASA), and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation or (BIWTC) etc.
He also said efforts will be taken to overcome the challenges by ensuring coordination among different government organisations as well as local influential people.
The DSCC will soon appoint consultants to prepare designs to start implementing the project.
The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhya (RAJUK) once took a project to upgrade some neighbourhoods in Old Dhaka. But it turned into a failure at the beginning level following resistance from local people. It happened so, as the RAJUK's plan was to redesign the areas by building modern apartments, for which the resistance from local people came, officials said.
However, the DSCC's new project will upgrade the existing structures, keeping the historical heritage and traditional image of Old Dhaka intact.
The officials concerned said a project steering committee, comprising senior officials from various government agencies, will be working to ensure coordination among them. The secretary of Local Government Division (LGD) will chair it.
There will be some subcomponents to improve traffic intersections in close collaboration with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), they added.
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