The government has embarked on a massive plan to make Dhaka a world class modern megacity formulating a national policy . The National Urbanisation Policy–2019, to be formulated within a very short time, will also aim at ensuring disciplined and planned urbanisation in the country’s other megacities, said top government officials.
Sources said the local government division has already prepared a draft of the policy, which is likely to be placed before the cabinet meeting soon. As per the policy, no mega industrial unit would be allowed in the megacities from now on, encouraging the entrepreneurs to invest at economic zones outside the megacities, the sources said.
They said the policy would also include issues like empowering the local government of megacities, developing the megacity following adopted master plan, special zone for the poor, improvement of mass transport to tackle traffic congestion, and instructions about use of land.
Helaluddin Ahmed, secretary to local government division, told media: “The policy is being formulated for the planned urbanisation of the megacities. If we look at Dhaka, we would realise the necessity of planned urbanisation. It was supposed to be formulated long ago. As it was not done earlier, we are formulating the policy taking suggestions of all stakeholders.”
According to LGD sources, at present, 28 percent of the country’s total population live in city areas. The urban population is increasing rapidly, creating infrastructural problems to a sustainable urbanisation. Providing various services, including health, education, water, electricity and transport, to this ever-increasing urban community have become a major problem in the megacities.
Government sources said in this context, the government would not be able to face the challenge without a planned urbanisation policy. From such a realisation, the government is going to formulate the said policy.
According to the draft, different city corporations and development authorities of the country’s megacities would formulate a master plan for the respective cities. The city corporations would include schemes from the master plan on priority basis in their annual development plan.
As per the draft policy, the government would assist creating favourable environment in allotting land and money to create special residential zone for the poor and middle class people. The government would also adopt residential project for the ultra-poor population, besides working for the development of slum dwellers.
The draft policy ensures that without rehabilitating the dwellers, no slum could be evicted from any mega city. To ensure free movement of pedestrians and commuters, mass transport vehicles would be encouraged instead of private transports. Adequate number of footpaths would be built evicting illegal encroachers from the roadsides. Recreation centres including playgrounds and parks have to be ensured in every megacity in proportion to the number of dwellers.