Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Annisul Huq has urged the media to lend hands in making the city green and clean as it is a big challenge for both the mayors.
“It is a big challenge for us to make Dhaka a green and clean city. Our media cooperated us to face the challenge in the past. I hope that this cooperation will continue in the future too,” Annisul said at a views exchange meeting with the editors of different print and online media at a city hotel yesterday.
He urged the newspaper editors to allocate a two-inch space every day to publish different awareness programmes of the city corporations for the sake of the city people. All the editors agreed to the mayor’s call while some said that they were ready to spare more space to speed up the mayors’ efforts towards making Dhaka a better city.
“We will turn Dhaka into a green city within the next three years. This plan will be implemented with the help of 1,000 volunteers, who will go door to door and urge the house owners to plant trees,” the mayor said.
Annisul, who took office in May last year, said he was getting various supports from the prime minister, and the city corporation officials and local ruling party leaders, especially in conducting eviction drives in Tejgaon Industrial Area, Mohakhali, Mohammadpur, Gabtoli and Abdullahpur.
He said the city streets and footpaths would be freed from the grabbers by April this year. “We will arrange alternative space for the traders who are occupying the streets and pavements.”
The mayor also hoped that the waste management department of the city corporation would complete building the 72 secondary transfer stations within the next two-three months and then the waste disposal containers would be removed from streets.
“The shop keepers will be given 5,000 dustbins so that they do not dump garbage here and there. We have asked 1,200 leaders of traders’ organisations to follow rules,” he said.
Replying to a query, Annisul said that he had regular contact with Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokon, and that they share their thoughts and acts with each other. He said that the residents of Dhaka North and Dhaka South would get the same service.
The former FBCCI president said that the city corporation was working in coordination with the urban planners and the law enforcement agencies among other organisations concerned to develop the city’s traffic situation, and safety and security of the people.
He said that they had assured the bus owners and operators of providing necessary assistance to introduce a total of 3,000 brand new buses including 1,000 air-conditioned ones in five routes of the capital.
“The city will be brought under the coverage of 2,500 powerful CCTV cameras. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police will control the cameras to maintain law enforcement,” the mayor added.
Annisul said that the government should hand over the charge of the city’s canals, lakes, parks and open spaces to the city corporations for better management. He also urged people not to set up businesses in residential areas.
The meeting was attended by the Daily Samakal Editor Golam Sarwar, the Daily Prothom Alo Editor Motiur Rahman, The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam, the Dhaka Tribune Editor Zafar Sobhan, the daily Janakantha Editor Atiqullah Khan Masud, the daily Kaler Kantho Editor Imdadul Haq Milon, the daily Amader Orthoneeti Editor Nayeemul Islam Khan among others.
“We are satisfied with the commitments you made to the city dwellers ... I think you should become a mayor in the next tenure too. We are [media] assuring you that we will highlight every step of the city corporation by publishing those regularly,” Golam Sarwar told the mayor. “It is our duty to publish more awareness programmes considering the interests of the city people,” he added.
Echoing Golam Sarwar, Imdadul Haq Milon added: “We will not only publish the city corporation’s positive steps but also report on mistakes and irregularities.”
Dhaka Tribune Editor Zafar Sobhan urged the mayor to encourage young people to choose cycling which is environment friendly and healthy. “I will urge you to take steps for creating separate lane for bicycles on the city roads, if possible,” he added.
