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Beautification of Dhaka city: At what cost?

Shamsher Chowdhury
***Not too long ago Dhaka was one of the most eco-friendly towns in this part of the world. That couldn't be sustained due to our indifference. So late in the day we have all too suddenly become too conscious about the beautification of this city of ours. In about less than three decades we have destroyed most of our prized parks, lakes and various other water bodies. And now in the name of beautification we are continually on the path of creating monstrous and senseless infrastructures.***
MY experience (ells me that project like temporary cosmetic changes is a part of a syndrome typical of third world countries. It is very real though insofar as squandering of state finance is concerned. Of late you come across a vigorous campaign for the beautification of our capital city. The areas which seem to be receiving special attention are the main thoroughfares from the ZIA Airport leading to, perhaps, the Bangabhavan. The beautification covers the road dividers, major road islands on main intersections, the footpaths etc. Clearly "applepolishing", when hundreds of other projects both short and long-term lie in cold storage. Let us take a stock of works being undertaken. Let us start from the Airport and proceed
towards the city.
The very first thing that strikes you as you go in or come out of the Airport, is the island on the main thoroughfare. The entire structural works including the spiral steel pipes or at least what it seems to be, is absolutely ordinary and all it does to a sensitive viewer, at best, is arouse his curiosity. To most of the viewers the sight would appear to be "meaningless and funny". To top it all it even has a dedication plaque, probably under the name of our venerable minster for tourism. In the civilized world only major structural works or land marks of national significance bear dedication plaques.
Now keep moving forward and as you drive through that wide Airport Road which is also called the VIP Road (God alone knows why) towards downtown, on both sides of
the road you come across artificial lush green elevation with decorative designs of coloured creeper like plants. Also at places you do find some large white goblet style concrete flower bowls fixed at regular intervals. This pattern goes on, right through to the intersection of Dhaka Gate until it meets the western end of Kamal Ataturk Avenue and on the right along the road leading to old DOHS passed the railway crossing. This interplay of decorative designs
continue with minor variations here and there, throughout the entire VIP Road and a number of other arterial thoroughfares.
In streets of lesser significance around the city the main element of beautification is widening of road dividers and raising plants on the same. In some instances it has eased traffic congestion but through regulation of vehicles' movement.
I presume that the redecorating of the Innumerable footpaths with
fancy brick tiles is also a part of the over all scheme.
Now come to yet a specific sight, the Sonargaon Extension Road, which begins at the fountain near hotel Sonargaon ending at HatirpooL The only sight that has attracted my attention year after year is the makeshift plastic covered shanties on the entire footpath stretching alongside the Park with filth spread all around and smoke bellowing out of the shanties.
I am told that all these beautification ventures are part of a special drive to give a befitting welcome to the delegates arriving sometime in early January for the SAARC Summit.
Just consider this: if our government lives up to its reputation, most of the plants and the decorative creepers including all other forms of vegetations will simply die and wither away before this winter takes leave of us and the next monsoon
sets on. What will be the fate of the redecorated footpaths with fancy bricks? They will serve as they did in years gone by as platform for makeshift tea stalls and vendors of all kinds of merchandise catering to mostly rickshaw pullers. These tea stalls and cigarette shops are generally located on the narrower sections of street comers creating undue problems in the free flow of the traffic due to haphazard parking of rickshaws.
Not too long ago Dhaka was one of the most eco-friendly towns in this part of the world. That couldn't be sustained due to our indifference. So late in the day we have all too suddenly become too conscious about the beautification of this city of ours. In about less than three decades we have destroyed most of our prized parks, lakes and various other water bodies. And now In the name of
beautification we are continually on the path of creating monstrous and senseless infrastructures. May I ask to whose benefit? Just consider the ugly sight of the aircraft placed on one end of the Bijoy Sarani? What happened to the Doyel Chattar and the two concrete birds representing a fairly serene sight? Is it that insurmountable a task to just keep it clean and in good condition? The portion of the Suhrawardy Uddyan facing the Dhaka University campus is in a deplorable state. Let us stop constructing senseless monstrous structures of all dimensions, keep the water bodies free flowing and unpolluted, keep the garbage disposal orderly, let the ugly sight of old buses emitting poisonous fumes be out of sight These alone would be sufficient to keep the city beautiful.
Shamshor Chowdhury is a freelance writer.