Metropolitan government: Time to move now
THE Parliamentary Standing Committee for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, in its meeting on May 20, was in favour of forming a metropolitan government for Dhaka Metropolitan City, combining Gazipur and Narayangonj, to address the urban population growth and also to improve city life.
In fact, the municipalities of Gazipur, Savar and Narayangonj are so interlinked with Dhaka City Corporation in the movement of population, goods and services that it is difficult to see them as separate.
About 30% of the people live in urban areas, which might increase to 50% by 2020. Dhaka is one of the most densely populated cities of the world, with a population of around 120 million and annual growth of around 6%, as against 1.42% of the national growth rate. In Dhaka City Corporation around 33% live in slums
According to demographers, Dhaka might be 4th largest city of the world in terms of population if the rapid migration of people from rural areas continues.
On the other hand, the administration of the city is one of the weakest one in terms of providing services and maintenance of infrastructure and mobilisation of resources. It is beset problems like traffic congestion, flooding, inadequate solid waste management, black smoke from vehicles, air and sound pollution, discharge of industrial effluent, open slaughtering of animals and industrial emission.
These are in addition to the acute shortage of water, electricity and sanitation facility, along with the mosquito menace and other health hazards. Many people call Dhaka a slum of bricks, having no resemblance to a modern city.
Above all, management of the City Corporation is not what is expected from the people's representatives of a 400 years old city. On the other hand, there are widespread allegations that the Nagar Bhaban is a den of corruption. General Moeen U. Ahmed, in his book Shantir Shapney (dreaming for peace), mentioned that it was impossible to describe the amount of corruption in the Corporation.
There are at least two thousand cleaners of DCC who receive salary without performing any duty. There are 23 librarians in 5 libraries of the DCC, who do not feel it necessary to remain present in the library. One market supervisor has traveled abroad at least 15 times because he is a leader of the Trade Union.
The Daily Star, in its May 22 and 23 issues, published pictures showing how the Turag River is being grabbed by sand traders, with the BIWTA turning a blind eye. General Moeen mentioned that BIWTA had failed to maintain the dredging of the rivers and misused the diesel. The grabbing of land and river is being done with the connivance of officials of concerned departments.
In fact, it is very difficult to run the administration of a metropolitan city with only one mayor at the helm of affairs, whatever might be his acumen and capability. In Metro Manila of Philippines, London and New Delhi, there are more than two mayors, with deputy mayors and capable town planners to attend to he expansion, construction and providing of services and facilities.
There is no point in evicting the poor from slum areas without making sure of their resettlement, which is a fundamental human right. This will be possible when a metropolitan government can work to uphold public interest.
In Bangladesh, there are 6 city corporations and 309 municipalities. All heads of municipalities are also known as mayors, although the post of city corporation mayor carries the rank of minister and state minister, but municipality mayors do not have such status. But that is not enough to be a public representative; he must prove his excellence in providing services with honesty, integrity, transparency and accountability.
It is not possible for a city or municipality mayor to maintain the urban facilities with his initiatives alone, without the support of services providing institutions/agencies like, water supply, gas, health, law enforcing, public works department etc. Thus, there is a need to develop a separate metropolitan government for a city with a population exceeding 10 million. Members of parliament having their constituencies within the city corporations or municipalities might be included as advisers, but their advice should not be made mandatory as provided for the Upazila Parishads Act.
In fact, there should be a separate ministry/division to look into the affairs of urban cities and municipalities since the population in urban localities is increasing and problems in good governance are concentrated in urban areas. There could be a commission to find the ways and means to address these issues, keeping in view the expectations of the public in general.
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