Campaign 'Clean Dhaka' next year
With the New Year approaching, the mayors of Dhaka north and south city corporations worked out some commendable plans to make the capital a better place for living
Influential people like some members of police and political activists are behind doing businesses illegally occupying the capital's roads and footpaths, the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) said yesterday.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "Though we could not achieve the desired goal of freeing public roads and footpaths yet, we keep on making our best efforts to do the job," said Mohammad Sayeed Khokon, referring to his recent drives to free Gulistan roads and footpaths.
The mayor was laying out an extensive work plan to make 2016 as a "Clean Dhaka" year for his corporation at a press conference at a city hotel.
But there is a big challenge of coordination among government organisations in delivering the desired civic services and making the capital a better city, he said.
As a part of DSCC's year-long cleanliness campaign, the mayor pledged to set up 57 secondary waste transfer stations, modernise Matuail landfill, build 25 public toilets, remove all illegal billboards and free all the roads and footpaths of illegal occupation.
The mayor said they would also ensure development of parks and playgrounds, safe food in public places, illuminate at least one-third of DSCC area with LED lights and ensure public participation in the campaign.
Replying to a question from The Daily Star correspondent, Khokon said finding land for secondary waste transfer stations would be difficult in Old Dhaka.
He said they had so far found land for establishing 10 such stations but "in case land is not available for all 57, we will set some collection bins underground."
Replying to how he would deliver on all such ambitious promises only in a year, he said, "We have to start somewhere."
About unauthorised billboards set up by the government, along Abdul Gani Road for example, the mayor said, "We will write to them requesting to remove such billboards."
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