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OPINION

Shifting of Capital Dhaka- a Realistic Suggestion

Prof Azam Siddique
The editorial in the "Dally Star” of 11 July 2000 titled "an Amusing Suggestion" has drawn my attention. There are some information which appeared to me as confusing. At the outset I would like to Inform that "some of the offices of the 16th Division" of Pakistan Army, as mentioned there, were not stationed in the then East Pakistan after partition. It was the 14th Division of Pakistan Army which was stationed in the then East Pakistan. Some of the elements of 16th Division Joined them during our liberation war.
There is no denying the fact that capital Dhaka is crippled today with a host of problems, the most visible being the traffic problem. Most of these crises arose from unplanned urbanization and undue expansion (including vertical). To find out the roots of the crises, it is Imperative to look at the history of Dhaka city. Sonargaon was the capital of Bengal from the year 1352 to 1608. The capital was later shifted to Dhaka, which was named Jahangir Nagar after the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Following the death of Mughal Emperor Aurongjeb the capital was shifted to Murshldabad in 1705/1706. After the historic "Banga Bhanga Movement", Dhaka was a provincial capital for the time being. Again during Pakistan period, Dhaka was the provincial capital of the then ELast Pakistan. Dhaka was never built or expanded as a capital of an
independent country before 1971. Even after 1971, the city developed and expanded on the same infrastructure without much of plan and foresight.
As a result we find unbearable traffic Jam in the city, most of it being avoidable. We do not have bare minimum civic facilities. What Is the remedy then? Traffic problem of London. Paris, New York etc. were solved by establishment of satellite towns, underground railway and flyovers, implementing effective traffic system, constructing multistoried parking lot and improving public transportation system etc. However, our huge population is also an important factor in this respect It is fruitless to increase the facilities in urban area without controlling the influx of rural people. However. one may ask how much money is needed to develop the required facilities? And even It is much more, isn't it better to build these systems and make our city functional and comfortable? But then, in the absence of such initiatives, or there being little feasibility for that, the only other alternative is perhaps to shift the capital itself, and this. I believe, what General Mustafiz was talking about.
Die proposal given by General Mustafiz to shift the capital may seem "an amusing suggestion" to some. But history reveals that capitals were shifted in many countries over the ages to ensure good governance. During the
British rule the capital of India was established at Calcutta in the year 1772 which was later shifted to New Delhi in the year 1912. There are examples of shifting capitals even on the basis of seasons as we see British capital at New Delhi shifting to Simla in the summer. Karachi was the capital of newly independent Pakistan. It was shifted to Rawalpindi, then to its present location Islamabad. Recently, the capital of Malaysia has been shifted from Kuala Lumpur to Putra Joya which offers computerized communication system with wide range computer net work and is very much a functional capital. Shifting of capital from Kuala Lumpur to Putra Jaya is a model for many countries to emulate. Without drawing any more example it may be said that shifting of capital is not amusing rather realistic and such shifting may be done for the greater interest of the country and its citizens.
The proposal of shifting the capital to Joydevpur is also convincing. Joydevpur is located on high land, which is above flood level and has a good road and rail link with the whole country. The area as a whole consists of huge Khas land and other government owned land. Unscrupulous people are slowly grabbing these lands and exploiting the same in an unplanned development spree. Joydevpur offers a good site for shifting the capital should the need arise.
The question has been raised
about hundreds of thousands of officers and employees of the government who will have to travel from Dhaka to Joydevpur everyday in the event of such shifting. But what about thousands of students, defence personnel and govt employees, who will have to travel everyday from and to Dhaka if the Secretariat, Dhaka University and Dhaka Cantonment are shifted elsewhere? At present Dhaka University has 28.000 students, out of which only 7,000 are residential. About the difficulties of Secretariat employees, the less said the letter.
Then again let’s assume that the three major establishments the secretariat, the university and the cantonment are shifted to Joydevpur as per the proposal of our Japanese friends. What will happen to the infrastructure of these establishments? How such costly lands and properties will be utilized? Can any one assure that the huge crises related with the traffic problem of Dhaka will be solved with the shifting of these three conveniently located establishments? Convenient because there's comparatively not much traffic congestion around them, specially cantonment. Could Dhaka cantonment be of much help to solve the crisis spread over the whole capital? The traffic problem in Dhaka may be eased up to a great extent as we saw on several occasions when military police was deployed in the city. The traffic congestion in Dhaka
Cantonment has been greatly solved by segregation of slower triwheclers from the main road. A lot can be achieved in this respect if the efforts of Police. City Corporation and RAJUK could be put together to follow the model traffic system of Dhaka Cantonment. We can also learn a lot from the examples of Calcutta. New Delhi and Bangkok.
With due respect to the Japanese experts 1 would humbly like to mention some other issues. It is said "the user knows where the shoe pinches". Many of our own experts have given a host of proposals to solve the traffic problem of Dhaka based on their knowledge and experience. But these proposals received less importance since these came from our own experts. Proposals made by Japanese experts are given due importance since these came from foreign experts. Did the Japanese mention other means of solving the traffic problem? In fact the Japanese proposal may appear to be amusing because you cannot solve traffic problem by shifting only the important establishments today these three establishments, tomorrow the central Jail, the BDR headquarters. then the Sangsad Bhaban. There are better and cheaper alternatives to solve the traffic problem than shifting establishments. The foreign experts could hare been asked about that. How easily’ we buy foreign ideas and simply do not pay any heed to indigenous ones.