Dhaka loses 'character’

Dhaka has virtually lost its basic character as a city since shops and markets have sprung up everywhere for its unplanned expansion and development.

This, urban experts say, has made it harder for the future planners to reshape the country's capital city.

They observe that now anyone can set up any type of shop in the capital anywhere, including residential areas, on footpaths, lanes and by-lanes, alongside roads and in open spaces for lack of monitoring and enforcement of law, hampering public movement and causing traffic jams and creating public nuisance.

Prof Sarwar Jahan of Urban and Regional Planning (URP) department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), urban expert and former chairman of the University Grants Commission prof Nazrul Islam and architect Iqbal Habib came up with the remarks while talking to the UNB correspondent.

They said Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), which is responsible for making city development plans, approving building designs and regulating the unplanned shops and markets, is unable to perform its duty properly.

They also said Dhaka’s Detailed Area Plan (DAP) should be followed to ensure a planned city instead of going for random eviction of shops, business establishments, educational and other institutions as there is plot-wise demarcation in the DAP about the type of establishments to be set up in every city area.
Sarwar Jahan said this is surprising how people are setting up shops and markets everywhere at their own sweet will when there are city authorities to control it.

He said the city authorities should work out plans for every residential area based on its number of population and their demands.

“They need to determine how many shops and markets and what type of shops will be there in an area. No one should be allowed to set up any shop and market without any approval from the city authorities.”

Sarwar Jahan said the city authorities can also designate some places of an area for markets and shops to ensure a planned urbanisation.

Prof Nazrul Islam said Dhaka city is one of the most unplanned cities in the world thanks to insincerity of Rajuk.

He said many plans had been worked out since the 1958 to build Dhaka as a planned city, but no plan has been implemented yet. “We’ve got a plan how many and where we’ll set up shops, markets, schools and other institutions, but it’s not followed.”

He said Rajuk could not implement the DAP though it was taken in the 90s. “Like municipalities, city corporations should have the authority to deal with the city issues. Most of the city corporations in the world have the authority to formulate their city development plans, implement those and enforce the law.”

Nazrul Islam urged the government to promptly implement the Dhaka Structure Plan for 2016-2035 to resolve the unplanned urbanisation problems and regulate unauthorised shops and other institutions.

Urban expert Iqbal Habib said, “As there’s no plan, monitoring, control and enforcement of law, shops and markets are being set up at the places where there should be houses, while houses at the places where there should be markets or shops.”

He said many people are constructing residential buildings keeping aside their first floors for shops, while some others are setting up shops on footpaths, lanes, alongside rail tacks and other open spaces as no effective body is there to control them.

“Though laws and plans are in place to control those, these aren’t enforced. There’re specific gaudiness in the DAP about the type and number of establishments to be set up in every city area. But, Rajuk couldn’t implement those over the last 20 years.”

Habib, joint secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, said the government should entrust the two city corporations with the responsibility for implementing the DAP instead of Rajuk for its timely and proper execution.

Contacted, Rajuk chairman M Bazlul Karim Chowdhury said their organisation only approves building plan, but it has no authority to control haphazard and illegal shops and markets.

“We approve plans for residential buildings and other establishments. Rajuk doesn’t decide which building will be used for commercial or other purposes, unless it’s under in Rajuk planned area. The city corporations and other organisations deal with that.”

Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sayeed Khokon, however, said they have the authority only to control establishments or shops beside roads or footpaths. “We often carry out eviction drives to clear those. We also control 86 markets and nearly 21,000 shops of the city corporation while Rajuk is responsible for other areas.