Putting a hard brake on Dhaka's unplanned growth

The prospects of Dhaka becoming one of the top ten cities of the world in terms of population size, should make the people of the country proud of their capital city. But this pride cannot be an unmixed one because in its present state and its continuing unplanned growth, there are valid fears that Dhaka in the future could be a megalopolis, but a megalopolis full of slums or shanties, short of infrastructures befitting its size, and status and a maze of unplanned urbanisation.
The time to put a hard brake on the unplanned growth of Dhaka has been long past. What is imperative now is to start damage control and put a complete stop on further unplanned growth of the city and take necessary corrective measures.

Sumana Islam
Pallabi, Dhaka