Bureaucracy main bar to ensuring Dhaka's livability: Experts
Urban planners express their concerns at a debate contest
Dhaka city is becoming increasingly unlivable due to unplanned construction – commercial spaces, factories and shops, and bureaucracy stands as the biggest obstacle to addressing the crisis, urban planning experts have said.
The observation was made at a debate contest grand finale organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Planners in the capital on Friday to celebrate the "World Town Planning Day."
Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology beat Jahangirnagar University to take the top spot at the inter-university contest finale.
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Debate for Democracy Chairman Hassan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron said allowing diverse use of the land is beneficial for citizens, but "over-diversification" in Dhaka city has rendered it nearly unlivable.
While the role of citizens is crucial to address the crisis alongside the government's, bureaucracy remains the biggest hurdle, Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury added.
Bangladesh Institute of Planners President Mohammad Fazle Reza Sumon and the institute's General Secretary Shaikh Muhammad Mehedi Ahsan also spoke at the event.
Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury said unsanctioned schools, colleges, shops and markets are mushrooming almost everywhere. Commercial offices and factories are being set up in residential areas. In this backdrop, Dhaka city's urban framework has to be overhauled, he noted.
Urban planners also said that land grabbers are setting up housing projects after filling up the city's water bodies, without taking Rajuk's approval. Many unsuspecting citizens are buying properties in these projects, risking huge casualties in the event of a major earthquake.
