Staff Reporter :
The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) has no plans for the urban poor, who constitute 64 percent of the city’s total population, said experts at an event on Sunday.
They came up with this remark at a national dialogue on “Energy Use of the Urban Poor and Challenges in Renewable Energy Adoption: Perspectives of Dhaka Metropolis”.
The event was jointly organised by the Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS), the Bangladesh Resource Center for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK) and the Coalition for the Urban Poor (CUP).
Chairman of the Centre for Urban Studies (CUS) Emeritus Professor of University of Dhaka Prof Nazrul Islam attended the event as the chief guest, while Prof Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder was in the chair.
In his speech, Prof Nazrul Islam said first ever Bangubandu had made law for safety and security of the urban slum residents. There is no plan of RAJUK for urban slum residents.
He said the finding from of the research should reach important departments of the government. There is no implementation of urban plan though it exists. It should get importance as there remain the plans for urban slum people rights including fuel right.
As a chair of the programe Professor Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Mazumder said the use of renewable energy has an impact to improve the quality of both air and fuel.
Professor Muhammad Ali Naqbi, the Vice-president of Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) said we made an urban plan by excluding slum people which won’t help us to control the use of fossil fuel. We will face the challenges of using renewable energy along with the slum people.
Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) President and also Professor of Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP) of Jahangirnagar University Dr Adil Mohammad Khan said slum dwellers should get formal housing. Informal housing could not help to solve the energy problem.
People from various corners have also expressed their opinion and views at the event.