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Relocate Sectt, cantt and DU

Japanese environment experts suggest at city workshop

By Staff Correspondent
Experts have suggested relocation of Bangladesh Secretariat. Dhaka Cantonment and Dhaka University to ease growing traffic congestion and air pollution.
Japanese environment experts at a workshop recommended for shifting of Bangladesh Secretariat to Sher-c-Bangla Nagai or Savar with better mass transit facilities.
Dhaka Cantonment to existing Savar Cantonment and Dhaka University to Kanchpur (near Dhaka-Chittagong Highway! to ensure planned land use
They identified lack ol infrastructure, rapid rise in transportation demand, nonmotorised vehicles on roads, lack of application of proper traffic management schemes, industrial growth, construction
boom, re-suspension of dust and open burning responsible for environmental problems In the country's major cities
They were speaking at a workshop on Improvement of transportation and environment In Dhaka at a city hotel yesterday. Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) with support of (he Embassy of Japan organised it
The experts also said Increasing traffic c ongest ion in the streets, use of leaded gasoline. increasing number ol two-stroke engine vehicles and high content of sulphur in diesel have made vehicular emissions all the more harmful
They said the level of motorization in Dhaka is siiU low compared with other Asian
cities. However. Dhaka suffers from serious traffic congestion largely due to the absolute lack of roads, inadequate road network configuration and inefficient traffic management
The Japanese experts suggested for short-term and longterm measures to improve air quality. Replacement of two-stroke engine vehicles and In* troduetton of compressed natural gas (CNG)-operated public bus could be a remedy, they said.
"There Is an increasing demand of public mass trans-portation In Dhaka and an environmentally sound option is to Introduce CNG operated bus." said Md Masud Karim, a JB1C consultant, in his keynote pa-per on the status of air quality and state-of-the-art control measures in Dhaka.
He recommended for renovation of Eastern Refinery to facilitate supply of lead-free petrol and low-sulphur diesel, as a long-term measure The government can go for conver-
sion of vehicles and refuelling station into CNG-based ones and development of trans* Korlatlon Infrastructure, added
arfm.
The Bangladesh-born Japanese expert also suggested for Implementation of a green agenda for the citizens of Dhaka and an integrated approach to improve lite capital city's environment.
The experts said coordination among development partners Is necessary to avoid duplication of approaches. Immediate replacement of two stroke-engine vehicles by four-stroke engines, reduction of lead and sulphur content in fuel, use of natural gas in urban traffic fleets and encouraging transport infrastructure development in private finance can do the trick.
Communications Minister Anwar Hossain, who attended the inaugural function as the chief guest. Identified exodus of rural people to the capital as one of the most serious urban problems.
He said the government was tinder tremendous pressure to let the two-stroke engine vehicles ply in rural areas when it banned those. But that alone would not solve the gigantic problem, Hossain said.
He said the government is implementing a set of components under the Dhaka Urban Transport Project to Improve the city’s transportation and environment.
Japanese Ambassador in Bangladesh Kazuyoshi Urabe in his speech said Japanese investors in Dhaka mostly complain about Dhaka's trans* portation problem.
ERD Secretary Mashiur Rahman and the chief representative of JBIC also spoke on the occasion.
Earlier. Kazuo Hishida. Technical Advisor of JBIC. presented a keynote paper titled Experience on Air Pollution Control in Tokyo Metropolis.