Dhaka's case is not a hopeless one
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
The time to act and act decisively to regenerate Dhaka was crossed long ago. But with the launching of immediate corrective actions, it should be possible to stop the city from heading towards the brink and start a process of its renewal or revival. This is possible provided there is enough political or governmental resolve and vision to work towards this end.
According to pessimists, conditions in Dhaka city are beyond reversal. But this view is not tenable. Wherever the problems of the city were sought to be addressed with real determination, the same yielded positive results in varying degrees. Thus, there is no reason to feel defeated and dejected. Other Asian cities like Bangkok have faced similar great difficulties in areas ranging from managing traffic movement to stopping the proliferation of slums. But planned government actions in those countries led, first, to putting a brake on the process of decline followed by a gradual process of regeneration.
Dhaka needs to work its way out to such a state with planned and uncompromising actions over a period of time.
Shabbir Karim
Baridhara, Dhaka
According to pessimists, conditions in Dhaka city are beyond reversal. But this view is not tenable. Wherever the problems of the city were sought to be addressed with real determination, the same yielded positive results in varying degrees. Thus, there is no reason to feel defeated and dejected. Other Asian cities like Bangkok have faced similar great difficulties in areas ranging from managing traffic movement to stopping the proliferation of slums. But planned government actions in those countries led, first, to putting a brake on the process of decline followed by a gradual process of regeneration.
Dhaka needs to work its way out to such a state with planned and uncompromising actions over a period of time.
Shabbir Karim
Baridhara, Dhaka