Harnessing Old Dhaka's business potential

Narrow passages filled with traffic of pedalled rickshaws, pushcarts and modern high speed motorised vehicles in a mad race to overtake one another in the old part of the city called Old Dhaka is a fraught spectacle to watch day in day out. Add to it, the tumbledown structures that line either side of those alleys housing chemical depots in the basements and living quarters on the upper floors. Small wonder that disastrous fires engulf different areas of the Old Dhaka from time to time, taking a heavy toll on lives and property. For instance, the Nimtali fire of 2010 that claimed about 124 lives and the Chawkbazar fire of 2019 that took 70 lives originated from the chemical depots. So, following Nimtali fire, the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), since 2013, has stopped issuing business permits for chemical warehouses in that part of the city and then ceased renewing trade licence for such businesses after Chowkbazar fire in 2019.

Temporary relocation of Old Dhaka's chemical depots to Shyampur industrial estate began from June 4, 2022. But the relocation of some 1,924 chemical depots situated in Old Dhaka as identified by the investigating teams formed as per the Cabinet Division's directive is yet to gather pace. Against this backdrop, the DSCC mayor, while speaking at a recent discussion meet in the city aimed to unlock Old Dhaka's immense business potential so far stymied by traffic gridlock, issued warning to the effect that a strong drive in that part of the city would follow the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr to relocate business entities trading in hazardous chemicals to Syampur. If past experience is any guide, nothing moves in this country until the authority in question puts its foot down. With the removal of the combustible chemicals from its buildings, the full economic potential of Old Dhaka could be unleashed. Some experts pointed out, Old Dhaka being one of the largest business hubs of the country, contributes about 20 per cent to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Even so, its actual potential remains still unrealised as its extreme traffic gridlock eats away precious working hours valued at around Tk1.4 billion every day.

As a cradle of important historical sites, consider its potential for drawing tourists from across the world. So, even after clearing Old Dhaka of its hazardous chemical contents, the next step should be to revitalise Old Dhaka to give it a better look. This can be done by demolishing the old, about-to-collapse, ramshackle buildings of no historical value, but renovating the heritage structures. That would make it a better place to live in and, at the same time, be able to draw more sightseers to boost the area's economic worth.

In truth, the problem of gridlock is not solely a curse of the older part of the city. To be fair, the entire country is bedevilled by unplanned urbanisation all across its length and breadth and the unbearable traffic mess is incidental to this haphazard development. Obviously, it has played its part to deprive the country of its economic growth at the desired pace. According to an estimate, the resulting overall GDP loss comes to around 2.9 per cent of the total. It is time the authorities looking after the city began to act and transform it into a safer and better place to live in.