Poverty reduction programmes must ensure access of the poor to land and housing, infrastructure and services and to income and assets, said the speakers at a seminar yesterday.

The seminar titled 'Alleviation of urban poverty through good governance' was held at Buet Council Bhaban in the city.

Buet's Department of Urban and Regional Planning and UNDP jointly organised the seminar.

Speaking as chief guest at the seminar, Adviser Mohammad Anwarul Iqbal said the government is trying to make sure that the poor get land for housing and are not evicted from the slums without any rehabilitation plan for them.

He said at least 40 percent of the city dwellers, which is no less than 3.5 million people, are living in the slums.

The government is now encouraging the private real estate developers to provide housing facilities for the poor, he added.

The adviser said eradication of corruption would be a first step towards establishing the rights of the poor on urban land, housing and economic opportunities.

Prof Nazrul Islam, chairman of University Grants Commission, stressed the need for "decentralisation" of power for smooth running of the government.

He said the local government should be empowered right now to ensure good governance.

To reduce the pressure on city, Prof Nazrul said the UGC is not going to allow any private university to have their campus inside the city and will encourage them to move to suburbs.

Prof Roxana Hafiz of urban and

regional planning department of Buet, in her keynote speech discussed the issue of urban poverty and good governance and recommended participatory budget, annual development report, public feedback mechanism and ombudsman to strengthen the local government.

Terming urban poverty 'identical in all the least developed countries', UNDP Country Director Manoj Basnyat laid emphasis on the community-based approach of municipalities.

This arrangement would allow Bangladesh achieving the millennium development goal, he added.

Prof AMM Safiullah, vicechancellor of Buet, and Prof Sarwar Jahan, dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning, also spoke on the occasion.