Minister calls for collective efforts to make Dhaka more liveable

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam has called for coordinated efforts by city corporations, political leaders, residents and other stakeholders to make Dhaka a more liveable city.

“Desired development would not be possible if all responsibilities were left solely to the city corporations. City residents, political leaders and all relevant stakeholders must work together in a coordinated manner,” he said.

The minister was speaking at a citizens’ dialogue hosted by Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) at a community centre in Kalabagan on Monday. The meeting brought together members of civil society from Dhanmondi, Kalabagan, New Market, Ramna and Shahbagh areas. DSCC Administrator Md Abdus Salam, officials concerned, ward-level leaders of the BNP and its affiliated organisations, and social workers also attended.

Alam said ensuring uninterrupted civic services for around 35 million residents was a major challenge that the two Dhaka city corporations could not tackle alone.

He said Dhaka North and Dhaka South city corporations had limitations in providing all necessary services to such a large population because of their existing workforce, offices and operational capacity.

The minister urged political leaders, ward-level representatives, social organisations and citizens to fulfil their respective responsibilities to support the capital’s overall development, improve residents’ quality of life, maintain road discipline and improve the urban environment. He said the limitations of city corporations needed to be recognised, while the accountability of relevant institutions for delivering civic services must also be ensured.

Calling on participants to identify specific problems in their respective wards, Alam said the challenges varied from one area to another.

Some areas faced poor road conditions, while movement was obstructed in others. Certain neighbourhoods also urgently needed improvements in civic discipline and the environment, he said.

He stressed that authorities should address problems according to local needs rather than follow a uniform plan for every area.

Ward-level leaders and local residents were best placed to identify the actual problems in their neighbourhoods, the minister said.

They should determine which issues required urgent attention and which initiatives would benefit residents most, then inform the city corporation so it could prepare plans accordingly.