After so many articles and reports in the media, the government finally went for rehabilitating 7,000-8,000 evicted slum-dwellers through constructing buildings on two plots of land of the Ministry of Work in Mohakhali and Mirpur areas in the city. This is a welcome step.
The government's concern for slum dwellers is shared by all concerned. But at the same time it must think about the general housing problem of the numerous people who turn to the capital for earning their livelihood.
The problem with slum-dwellers in our context is that they have always been looked upon negatively. But quite a few examples can be cited to prove that these people are providing both skilled and non-skilled labour to many sectors and making significant contributions to the service sector and the economy as a whole. One can hardly overlook the garment workers in this respect. There should be growth centres developed in the outlying areas to hold the people to their rural habitats.
There are good examples of how developing countries have provided low-cost housing for the urban poor initiated on the basis of pragmatic plans under public-private sector collaboration which attached due importance to the slum-dwellers' role in an urban setting.
The latest government move has to take into account the vulnerability of the poor and leave no loopholes in the plan to transfer the buildings to the homeless at a nominal cost payable at easy instalments.
Sultan Ahmed
Uttara, Dhaka
Addressing the housing problem of slum dwellers
FE Team | Published: July 07, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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