In a bid to ensure better living standard for the capital’s cleanliness workers, the two Dhaka city corporations are constructing multistoried buildings for them. The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has already completed the construction of 6 six-storied buildings and construction work of 11 more buildings is underway while the Dhaka North City Corporation will construct four 15-stioried buildings by 2021.
More than 6,500 tons of wastes are produced per day in the two city corporation areas. About 3,000 to 3,500 tons of wastes are produced every day at DNCC areas while DSCC areas produce around 3,500 tons daily, according to waste management departments.
According to two City Corporations, about 7,600 registered cleanliness workers have been working in the capital. Besides, around 4,000 workers are working on contract basis. These cleaners are playing the major role to collect these wastes from households, transport wastes from dustbin to secondary transfer stations and at last dump those to sanitary landfill.
The cleaners work hard to keep the city clean, garbage-free and malodor-free. To give them a better life, two city corporations have taken the initiative to build residential buildings. Their housing problem will be solved if flats of these buildings are allotted among them. Mentioning the progress of construction of separate buildings for cleaners, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sayeed Khokon, in his budget speech of 2019-2020 fiscal year, said, “We have already completed and inaugurated six cleaner colony (six-storied building) in Dhalpur, Lalbagh and Ganaktuli for cleanliness workers.”
Besides, the construction work of six more buildings in Ganaktuli, three buildings in Miranjalla Cleaner Colony and two more six-storied buildings in Dhalpur are going on, he said, adding, the welfare fund have already been formed for them. The Mayor also said, “The construction work of about 1218 flats (in total) in 13 ten-storied buildings is going on under a project of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED).”
Contacted, DNCC’s chief waste management officer Captain Manjur Hossain told Bangladesh Post, “The construction work of four 15-storied building is going on under a project at Gabtali City Palli in the capital. We expect to complete the work by June 2021.” He also said, “Cleaners will get the benefit after completion of the project. Currently, about 3,800 cleaners have been working to remove waste from DNCC areas, of which 2,400 are DNCC’s own worker and other 1,400 are working on contract basis.”
On the other hand, DNCC Mayor Atiqul Isalm on Thursday said, “In order to build flats for DNCC’s cleaners, a project is underway titled ‘Construction of multi-purpose residential building for the cleanliness workers of Dhaka North City Corporation’ at a cost of Tk 221.49 crore in Gabtali City Palli.”
About 784 flats will be constructed in four 15-storied building under the project. The project work will be completed by June 2021, he added.
Besides, a school will also be constructed under the project.