Readers Respond
Here are some comments that came in response to Tuesday's The Daily Star news report headlined “Dhaka set to split into two”.
Zobayer Zubi
Yes! The time demands this urgently. Syed Ally
It should be done only if the people want. London Eye
It is better to create pocket boroughs on the scale of London city and then allocate strategic matters of the Dhaka Mayor(s). Please study this set up as these would lead to real development of the city. The DCC should be pruned down. Anonymous Bangalee
Instead of dividing the city, the politicians should move some of the ministries to other places. The main problems are congestion and inadequate service. None of them will be solved by dividing it. Navid
We need to understand first for whom the bell tolls? If the present government needs it then let there be a vote by the residents of Dhaka. If they want it then go ahead and if not then stop here. We need to understand that the purpose of a political government is not primarily to win the next election or create political space for them. The primary responsibility is public service and welfare. Please ensure that. S Noor
Instead of dividing the city into two, the government should rather divide the entire country into eight divisions and decentralize the country for a better distribution of population. At this time of high technology, Dhaka City should be considered as the real capital with a few ministries plus the parliament and the rest should be distributed amongst the divisions. This would enable the infrastructure of the country and the population distribution would be even and just. The government should consider this. Upfront
The government has perhaps realized that a centralized authority in Dhaka city would not solve the critical problems of the city. So, they are planning to make two separate city authorities to divide responsibility and decision making. In principle, it should be acceptable. But question remains as to what political reactions are likely to arise and stop the process. Let us wait and see. I would suggest that government should give serious thought to decentralizing politics and governmental functions and delegate those to regional levels with an elected body having legal authority for legislation, revenue collection, enforce law. Sheikh Din Mohammad
We are interested in a working city. Present set-up of DCC is far from our expectation. Besides, Dhaka is no more a single city of 150 sq km, it is a conglomeration of Dhaka-Naryanganj-Gazipur, barring those green areas of National Park. For effective coordination between the existing and the proposed city corporations, Rajuk, DPDC, DESCO, BPDB, PGCB, Dhaka WASA, Civil-aviation Authority, Air Force, Navy and Dhaka University etc you need a city government. Relieve the PM from all such petty problems in our urban life, make her time free for other national problems. Jumana Sarwar
As a nation sitting with extremely limited resources, what is the rationality of duplicating administrative jobs? The city of London and Toronto in terms of budget and services provided are far bigger than Dhaka. How do they manage those with a handful of employees? They ensure transparency and accountability, so all we need is these two thing: keep DCC as a functional corporation where whims of AL have no place.
Yes! The time demands this urgently. Syed Ally
It should be done only if the people want. London Eye
It is better to create pocket boroughs on the scale of London city and then allocate strategic matters of the Dhaka Mayor(s). Please study this set up as these would lead to real development of the city. The DCC should be pruned down. Anonymous Bangalee
Instead of dividing the city, the politicians should move some of the ministries to other places. The main problems are congestion and inadequate service. None of them will be solved by dividing it. Navid
We need to understand first for whom the bell tolls? If the present government needs it then let there be a vote by the residents of Dhaka. If they want it then go ahead and if not then stop here. We need to understand that the purpose of a political government is not primarily to win the next election or create political space for them. The primary responsibility is public service and welfare. Please ensure that. S Noor
Instead of dividing the city into two, the government should rather divide the entire country into eight divisions and decentralize the country for a better distribution of population. At this time of high technology, Dhaka City should be considered as the real capital with a few ministries plus the parliament and the rest should be distributed amongst the divisions. This would enable the infrastructure of the country and the population distribution would be even and just. The government should consider this. Upfront
The government has perhaps realized that a centralized authority in Dhaka city would not solve the critical problems of the city. So, they are planning to make two separate city authorities to divide responsibility and decision making. In principle, it should be acceptable. But question remains as to what political reactions are likely to arise and stop the process. Let us wait and see. I would suggest that government should give serious thought to decentralizing politics and governmental functions and delegate those to regional levels with an elected body having legal authority for legislation, revenue collection, enforce law. Sheikh Din Mohammad
We are interested in a working city. Present set-up of DCC is far from our expectation. Besides, Dhaka is no more a single city of 150 sq km, it is a conglomeration of Dhaka-Naryanganj-Gazipur, barring those green areas of National Park. For effective coordination between the existing and the proposed city corporations, Rajuk, DPDC, DESCO, BPDB, PGCB, Dhaka WASA, Civil-aviation Authority, Air Force, Navy and Dhaka University etc you need a city government. Relieve the PM from all such petty problems in our urban life, make her time free for other national problems. Jumana Sarwar
As a nation sitting with extremely limited resources, what is the rationality of duplicating administrative jobs? The city of London and Toronto in terms of budget and services provided are far bigger than Dhaka. How do they manage those with a handful of employees? They ensure transparency and accountability, so all we need is these two thing: keep DCC as a functional corporation where whims of AL have no place.
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