Who to get performance medal?
Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Qazi Azad
AFTER a brief shower last Tuesday -- July 10, this scribe had to negotiate his way back home from his office through waters on some major roads in the Dhaka city, which were deep enough at some places for the children to learn how to swim. It is not that he had to undergo the experience only on that day. Many of the residents of Dhaka pass through this ordeal wherever it rains heavily for a couple of hours.
A young lady was seen on that day at one spot, close to the Supreme Court Bar Council Building, wading through the accumulated waters pulling her trouser up exposing the lower halves of her two legs -- an uncommon sight in the broad day light on a major street of moderately conservative Dhaka. Obviously, she drew the attention of some curious passers-by. They halted for some time either in a show of courtesy to let her wade through the polluted waters alone or to enjoy the uncommon sight.
Some street children gathered around the inundated spot. They were looking with piercing eyes at the stagnated waters to find out whether any African catfish emerged from any underground sewer pipe. They catch these monster-like all-eater fishes whenever opportunities occur, for sale. Many of the migrant or naturalised fishes of this variety which could drift away from protected ponds, have lately chosen the sewer pipes as one of their safe habitats. Whenever rain waters accumulate on Dhaka's roads, which are well-known for being poorly connected with the outdated drainage system, some of them emerge from their nasty underground abode to have a refreshing swim in the stagnated fresh rain water or for washing off the filthy garbage around their bodies. That does obviously add to the misery of the poor users of the roads who have to wade through polluted waters, like that cute young lady who walked through waters on the road to make her way to her destination.
Your scribe felt at the said spot that either the Dhaka WASA or the RAJUK, alongside the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), is working on a plan for creating equal opportunity for all in the transport sector. If the sky really breaks for a couple of day in this rainy season -- July and August -- when rivers become indignant with full youth, we would have pretty lengthy occasions when boats will replace pedalled rickshaws and motorised vehicles as the popular transports of Dhaka city's proud residents.
Clearly, the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhya (RAJUK) has allowed vertical expansion of our national capital on or without consulting the WASA about whether or not its laid-out sewer pipes could carry the load of waste waters and other non-solid wastes of an entire village, sheltered on each of Dhaka's newly built high-rise buildings. On the other hand, the lethargic or stupid Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has not been able yet to guess that time has arrived for it to widen its focus. A provincial city, transformed into the nation's proud capital through the war of liberation in 1971, obviously issued an urgent call for both of them to rise up from their slumber and groom up the city befitting its new status. But none of them has yet fully understood the message of that call.
The municipal corporation, renamed as the Dhaka City Corporation, which has successively berthed an elected Mayor with the status of a minister, could neither rise up to its new status as a corporation. Some of Dhaka's major roads are given face-lifts by the city corporation too often with some beautifying activities without caring much for the capital city's real health -- good sewerage with clean and smooth roads. With an elected mayor with the ministerial status, it could at least co-ordinate the development activities with the RAJUK and the WASA. The face-lift activities of the city corporation mostly remain restricted to remaking the road islands -- once with multicoloured pebbles and then with stone slabs, sometimes round and at other times square-shaped or rectangular, and then, on replacement of them all, with earth brought in to nourish newly planted small trees. The remaking activities go on in an unending cycle as if money is actually no problem.
But the fact that the scarcity of money is a problem becomes more than evident when many shabby roads with some potholes and no good drainage system offer you a challenge after a long shower to pass through them with your dress either folded too far up or having thoroughly drenched with polluted rain waters. Even residents of central city areas -- like Naya Paltan, Malibagh, Shantinagar, Green Road, etc., acutely feel this challenge. You may not cast your glance on the embarrassments of those who live on the fringes of the city, which have sprung up as new residential areas in an unplanned manner at isolated private efforts.
Most of the city parks, which are supposed to retain or improve the natural environment, have perked fallen women. These parks may entice or hurt your sight. Trees in most of the parks have thinned out as if to make some room for sins or for a commercial co-existence of prostitutes and pimps. But you can curse none of them as we have failed them in having the light of life -- a happy place under the sun having no requirement for an immoral income. Let us all curse us for being blind to their untold agonies. Fiesta on the flesh of the wretched by some that goes on in those parks might have drawn the attention of some people. Otherwise, why are there so much of publicity on prevention of AIDS? But the silent cries of the hearts beneath those fleshes have apparently attracted not many people's kind attention. Nothing significant is being done for their rehabilitation.
In spite of all these unwelcome developments, if you focus your attention on Dhaka's gradual grooming as a city which would alternatively facilitate movement of boats and non-marine transports on its roads to create balanced, equal opportunity for all in the transport sector, you must decide which one among those three august bodies -- the RAJUK, the WASA or the DCC, should receive a gold medal, studded with a thousand carat glittering yellow diamond at its top, for its consistent inglorious performance.
The city dwellers in Dhaka may vote on this issue to select the would-be recipient of the prestigious performance medal ahead of the coming general election. After all, it is a serious matter that deserves everyone's full and minute attention.
AFTER a brief shower last Tuesday -- July 10, this scribe had to negotiate his way back home from his office through waters on some major roads in the Dhaka city, which were deep enough at some places for the children to learn how to swim. It is not that he had to undergo the experience only on that day. Many of the residents of Dhaka pass through this ordeal wherever it rains heavily for a couple of hours.
A young lady was seen on that day at one spot, close to the Supreme Court Bar Council Building, wading through the accumulated waters pulling her trouser up exposing the lower halves of her two legs -- an uncommon sight in the broad day light on a major street of moderately conservative Dhaka. Obviously, she drew the attention of some curious passers-by. They halted for some time either in a show of courtesy to let her wade through the polluted waters alone or to enjoy the uncommon sight.
Some street children gathered around the inundated spot. They were looking with piercing eyes at the stagnated waters to find out whether any African catfish emerged from any underground sewer pipe. They catch these monster-like all-eater fishes whenever opportunities occur, for sale. Many of the migrant or naturalised fishes of this variety which could drift away from protected ponds, have lately chosen the sewer pipes as one of their safe habitats. Whenever rain waters accumulate on Dhaka's roads, which are well-known for being poorly connected with the outdated drainage system, some of them emerge from their nasty underground abode to have a refreshing swim in the stagnated fresh rain water or for washing off the filthy garbage around their bodies. That does obviously add to the misery of the poor users of the roads who have to wade through polluted waters, like that cute young lady who walked through waters on the road to make her way to her destination.
Your scribe felt at the said spot that either the Dhaka WASA or the RAJUK, alongside the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), is working on a plan for creating equal opportunity for all in the transport sector. If the sky really breaks for a couple of day in this rainy season -- July and August -- when rivers become indignant with full youth, we would have pretty lengthy occasions when boats will replace pedalled rickshaws and motorised vehicles as the popular transports of Dhaka city's proud residents.
Clearly, the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhya (RAJUK) has allowed vertical expansion of our national capital on or without consulting the WASA about whether or not its laid-out sewer pipes could carry the load of waste waters and other non-solid wastes of an entire village, sheltered on each of Dhaka's newly built high-rise buildings. On the other hand, the lethargic or stupid Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has not been able yet to guess that time has arrived for it to widen its focus. A provincial city, transformed into the nation's proud capital through the war of liberation in 1971, obviously issued an urgent call for both of them to rise up from their slumber and groom up the city befitting its new status. But none of them has yet fully understood the message of that call.
The municipal corporation, renamed as the Dhaka City Corporation, which has successively berthed an elected Mayor with the status of a minister, could neither rise up to its new status as a corporation. Some of Dhaka's major roads are given face-lifts by the city corporation too often with some beautifying activities without caring much for the capital city's real health -- good sewerage with clean and smooth roads. With an elected mayor with the ministerial status, it could at least co-ordinate the development activities with the RAJUK and the WASA. The face-lift activities of the city corporation mostly remain restricted to remaking the road islands -- once with multicoloured pebbles and then with stone slabs, sometimes round and at other times square-shaped or rectangular, and then, on replacement of them all, with earth brought in to nourish newly planted small trees. The remaking activities go on in an unending cycle as if money is actually no problem.
But the fact that the scarcity of money is a problem becomes more than evident when many shabby roads with some potholes and no good drainage system offer you a challenge after a long shower to pass through them with your dress either folded too far up or having thoroughly drenched with polluted rain waters. Even residents of central city areas -- like Naya Paltan, Malibagh, Shantinagar, Green Road, etc., acutely feel this challenge. You may not cast your glance on the embarrassments of those who live on the fringes of the city, which have sprung up as new residential areas in an unplanned manner at isolated private efforts.
Most of the city parks, which are supposed to retain or improve the natural environment, have perked fallen women. These parks may entice or hurt your sight. Trees in most of the parks have thinned out as if to make some room for sins or for a commercial co-existence of prostitutes and pimps. But you can curse none of them as we have failed them in having the light of life -- a happy place under the sun having no requirement for an immoral income. Let us all curse us for being blind to their untold agonies. Fiesta on the flesh of the wretched by some that goes on in those parks might have drawn the attention of some people. Otherwise, why are there so much of publicity on prevention of AIDS? But the silent cries of the hearts beneath those fleshes have apparently attracted not many people's kind attention. Nothing significant is being done for their rehabilitation.
In spite of all these unwelcome developments, if you focus your attention on Dhaka's gradual grooming as a city which would alternatively facilitate movement of boats and non-marine transports on its roads to create balanced, equal opportunity for all in the transport sector, you must decide which one among those three august bodies -- the RAJUK, the WASA or the DCC, should receive a gold medal, studded with a thousand carat glittering yellow diamond at its top, for its consistent inglorious performance.
The city dwellers in Dhaka may vote on this issue to select the would-be recipient of the prestigious performance medal ahead of the coming general election. After all, it is a serious matter that deserves everyone's full and minute attention.