40pc people of city don't have enough food, house to live in properly

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Adviser Mohammad Anwarul Iqbal addressing the seminar on ' Alleviation of Urban Poverty through Good Governance' jointly organised by BUET and UNDP, Bangladesh at the seminar room of BUET Council Bhaban Tuesday.

BUET Vice-Chancellor AMM Safiullah has said 40 per cent of Dhaka City's population are poor and much needs to be done for them as they are creating an imbalance in the society, reports UNB.

"These people don't have enough food or any permanent places to live in properly," he said while presiding over a seminar titled 'Alleviation of Urban Poverty through Good Governance' at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in the city Tuesday.

Department of Urban and Regional Planning of BUET and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) jointly organised the seminar.

LGRD Adviser Mohammad Anwarul Iqbal attended the programme as the chief guest while UNDP Country Director Manoj Basnyat and chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) Nazrul Islam as special guests.

Convener of the seminar and Head of Department of Urban and Regional Planning of BUET Roxana Hafiz presented the keynote paper.

In his speech, the BUET VC called upon the authorities concerned to explore potential labour markets for the employment of the poor and stressed the need for allowing them (poor) to participate in the country's poverty alleviation programmes.

The speakers in the seminar demanded that good governance based on the principles of transparency and accountability be ensured to improve the lifestyle of the urban poor across the country.

LGRD Adviser Anwarul Iqbal said, "Around 38 million people are living in urban areas of Bangladesh and about 50 percent of them are poor working in formal and informal urban economies."

He said most of the urban poor are living in slums and squatter settlements where they lack adequate water supply and sanitation.

Showing recent statistics, advisor Iqbal said at least 40 per cent citizens of Dhaka City, no less than 3.5 million, are living in squalor in slums and squatter settlements mostly built in an unplanned and haphazard manner.

The present democratic, demographic, socioeconomic and strategic considerations have made it imperative for the government to make all efforts to reduce urban poverty, he added.

Assuring all-out government support, he said, "We're trying to make sure that the poor get lands for housing and are not evicted from slums and squatter settlements without rehabilitation plan for them."