Curbing Migration to Capital
Speedy transport service to & from Dhaka stressed
The speedy transport will help residents of other districts to go to their workplace and return by the end of the day
Speakers at a symposium yesterday said speedy and subsidised transport services to and from the capital would help curb unrestrained migration to Dhaka.
This would also help residents of other districts to go to their workplace and return by the end of the day, they said.
The symposium titled “Population Management and National Development: Prospects and Challenges” was held at Nabab Nawab Ali Senate Bhaban in Dhaka University (DU) in the city.
DU Department of Population Sciences organised the symposium in cooperation with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
“This would help rural people earn urban income while living in villages, strengthen rural development and reduce pressure on urban housing and related services,” said Prof Dr AQM Mahbub from DU Department of Geography and Environment.
Speakers at the programme said the enormous population in the country is a mixed blessing.
Prof Ahmad Neaz of American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) said, “More population means larger exports of manpower, more annual remittance and cheaper labour force.
“But it also means more poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and low access to information.”
While Bangladesh is the seventh most populated nation in the world, it is also the most densely populated with 1,142 people living in every square kilometre, 25 times the average density of all countries, the speakers said.
However, population is unarguably a major building block for development activities in any country, they said.
“More than 35 percent of the country's population is below 15 years of age. For Bangladesh, this is a big demographic bonus,” said Prof AKM Nurun Nabi of the geography and environment department.
But this window of opportunity will last for a short time and must be taken, otherwise this young population could turn out to be a disaster for the nation, he said.
Speaking as the chief guest, DU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique said education is the best contraceptive for population management.
He stressed on the need to bring more people under the education system as a means to manage population related problems.
UNFPA Representative in Bangladesh Arthur Erken and DU Prof Dr Barkat-E-Khuda and Dr Ferdous Arfina Osman also spoke at the programme.
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