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DAP fails to frame pro-people plan to make Dhaka liveable

Speakers tell seminar

Staff Correspondent
The Detailed Area Plan (DAP) for Dhaka city was completed in a hurry and failed to put forward a pro-people strategy to make the city liveable for all, speakers at a seminar said yesterday. The approach taken in DAP mainly focused on improving facilities for the wealthy ignoring the demands of the poor, they added.
They stressed the need for establishing social institutions within walking distance of residences. With locality-based facilities, people will find everything in their own neighbourhood without having to travel long distance inside the city, they said.
Titled 'Pro-people sustainable urban planning and recent steps', the seminar was jointly organised by Urban and Regional Planning (URP) department of Buet and Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) Trust at the National Press Club
in the city.
Presenting a keynote paper, Dr Mahbubul Bari, international urban and transport specialist, said DAP failed to address the housing requirements of the poor and middleclass people who provide enormous services to the city.
Instead, DAP advocates segregation of the poor by encouraging development of high-income residential area. This would eventually lead to social discrimination.
Though a large segment of the population are pedestrians and dependent on nonmotorised transports, no specific programmes have been proposed to develop as well as improve these facilities, Bari
added.
The vital need for parks and open space was also largely ignored. The proposed allocation in DAP is only 0.13 acres of parks and open space for 1,000 persons in the main Dhaka city, lie pointed out.
Speaking as the chief guest, Buet Vice Chancellor AMM Shafiullah said main characteristics of the city changed with the disappearance of water bodies.
High concentration of people is a major problem. A fast exit from the city is urgent, he added.
The speakers suggested removing rail stations, rail crossing, bus terminal, cantonment from the main city, decentralisation of important infrastructures, business hubs, promoting mass transit instead of smaller vehicle, protection of retention ponds, recovery of open spaces, pedestrianfriendly streets, etc.
Dr Rukhsana Hafiz, chairman of URP department at Buet, AKM Abul Kal am, chairman of URP department at Jahangirnagar University, urban planner Khaleda Rashid, Shakil-bin-Quashem, lecture of URP department at Buet, Project Director of DAP Tapan Kumar Nath and Project Officer of WBB Trust Maruf Rahman also spoke on the occasion.