One man can make a difference. Gen. Park changed the whole of South Korea in 10 years' time. General Lee Kuan made Singapore one of the most liveable cities of the world. For any good job, one person is enough. Most appropriate here is the example of Bogota, the capital of Columbia. Once, it was far worse than Dhaka city. It was changed to be reckoned with any European or American city by one person, the then mayor of the city.
And to make the most unliveable cities in the world liveable ones, the mayors need to have their own vision and be aware of the great responsibility they shouldered.
The jobs, however, cannot be accomplished by the existing number of engineers and planners the Dhaka city corporations (DCCs) have. They need to hire architect(s), who have the global experience in town planning and implementing and would be available locally with the help of the BUET.
Dhaka has the less number of roads compared to the requirement. Dhaka lacks adequate north-south and east-west roads at regular intervals. New York City does not have any flyover inside, just outside there are several tunnels, bridges and flyovers to carry forward the traffic fast. One-way traffic inside the city is very rigorously followed. The city has enough north-south broadways and avenues crossed by east-west roads at regular intervals (blocks). That is the model for fast clearance of city traffic.
The Dhaka city mayors should always keep in mind while planning Dhaka city that neither the open spaces inside the cantonment nor the BGB HQ can be used in the greater interest of the city dwellers. They should keep in mind how old Shanghai was remodelled thoroughly with many buildings demolished to make way for new roads, flyovers, open spaces, parks, etc. The catch line here is that the affected people were rehabilitated and adequately compensated. We missed the bus before. The NAM villages could have been used instead, for residents, who might have been affected by widening of the existing roads and construction of new north-south and east-west roads. The affected residents could have been rehabilitated at Gulshan, Banani, Mirpur and in front of the Sangsad Bhaban where the NAM plats were built. With that opportunity gone, now there is no other option but to get prepared for paying adequate compensation, if the existing roads are widened and new roads are constructed.
Dhaka footpaths are the most unfit ones; these need to be thoroughly free for walking and cycling. But eviction of hawkers from there without rehabilitating them is no solution.
A golden opportunity was lost for rehabilitating the Gulistan footpath hawkers when the multi-storied buildings were constructed around Gulistan and sold out to different other quarters; some of the buildings there could be used for the hawkers. Now the authorities have to find out the alternative ways of rehabilitating them. This can be done for hawkers in other areas as well. The shanties at Karwan Bazar reappeared soon after the recent demolition of them. The authorities should be sympathetic while handling these issues. The shops built along the railway line in front of Karwan Bazar can be immediately dismantled.
The road used for parking trucks from Tejgaon to the Sat Matha area after delivering goods to the government godowns there needs to be cleared immediately. It remained cleared almost for two years during the tenure of the last caretaker government. It will not be possible to get rid of this, unless adequate parking can be arranged. The DCCs have enough properties all over Dhaka. They should not attempt any further leasing of vacant spaces for shopping centres. They should convert these spaces into parking lots immediately.
The lakes in the Gulshan area should be developed at least like that at Dhanmondi, the roads and footpaths in the Hatirjheel area be extended up to the point opposite the Indian embassy at Baridhara, the lakeside opposite the Manarat University be freed from illegal occupation quickly. No open spaces of whatever is left in Dhaka should be allowed to be used for multi-storied buildings for housing and other purposes.
The Shat Tola Bosti residents in front of the connecting road from Gulshan to Mohakhali should be rehabilitated properly. It can be converted into a playground or leased out to any hotelier for building a five-star hotel with a nine-hole golf course and this can be connected with bridge(s) across the lake. All bridges constructed over lakes can be remodelled like the one that connects Gulshan with the Road No. 11 at Banani. We have learnt nothing to save grasses in Dhaka. The volunteers from different clubs including Rotary, Lions and Inner Wheel can be involved in raising awareness about this.
When it comes to waste disposal, the DCCs can take initiatives for procuring big covered containers with wheels underneath from plastic factories as is done in many countries around the world. Inside the containers there will be big black plastic bags. Different areas of the city will have different dates and time in a week for collecting the bags, the residents will keep their trolleys at a designated place for convenience of the garbage cleaners. These will be directly sent to the dumping places at Demra and Amin Bazar. Many more such places can be developed on an urgent basis. More mechanised trucks like the ones donated to the DCCs can be procured from Japan either on soft loans or gratis. These mechanised vehicles will take waste directly from the containers. Outsourcing the services to big transport operators in the city can be considered. Once, Rangs Motors was interested to do the job at Gulshan.
It is intriguing to note that dustbins at appropriate places in the city cannot be maintained and cleaned at regular intervals. At some places rag-pickers can be very successfully engaged in doing the job of watering grasses and motivating the users of grass-paved places for not walking across or sitting on them, in exchange for small fees.
Recently it appeared in the newspapers that under IFC financing, a model plant was being developed with the help of teachers of Bangladesh Agriculture University to reap the benefit of biogas. It was being developed with a particular end in view, which is to replicate it for other suitable places for harnessing biogas electricity from waste. Such models can be developed at places like Karwan Bazar, Shyam Bazar, New Market, Mohammadpur and many other such places where tonnes of waste materials are produced.
Corporate offices or the residences can be brought under a legal framework requiring them to maintain grass patches and the footpaths bordering their sites. There can be a provision for heavy penalty in the event of violation of the law. This can be well-accepted by the households or business entities instead of paying holding tax or other charges.
Dhaka roads turn out to be worse during the rainy season. So, the roads must be adequately covered with bitumen and/or grass, serviced every now and then, the footpaths be adequately tiled leaving no muddy spaces there, even on the divider or outside the footpaths. The real estate companies must adequately cover their construction areas with raised tins or tarpaulins so that dust cannot spread.
The situation is completely chaotic at some residential complexes housing offices. On complaints some DCC officials visited the places and returned 'satisfied' adequately with 'tips' and did nothing later. Something should be done to do away with this. The two incumbent DCC mayors have their own reputation. We have every belief that they can change the chaotic scene of the city.
The writer is a retired managing director of several banks and financial institutions.
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