National land use plan stressed
A national land use plan is crucially required to ensure healthy urbanisation and economic development in the country, said experts at a conference in the capital yesterday.
Centre for Urban Studies (CUS), a non-profit research organisation, organised the conference to mark its 40th founding anniversary at Cirdap auditorium.
Strict compliance with zoning of agricultural, forests and wetlands immediately is vital to ensure sustainable urban growth in Bangladesh, said Prof Nazrul Islam, honourary chairman of CUS.
Four crores people that constitute an estimated 28 per cent of the country's total population live in urban areas, he said. Of the total urban people, 40 per cent live in Dhaka city alone.
Dhaka that has been a mega city with 10 million people since 2001 and presently having 15 million is set to emerge as a meta-city (having 20 million people), he said.
It is projected that half of Bangladesh will come under urbanisation by the year 2050 with an enhanced urban-rural connectivity, he said.
Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, chairman of Power and Participation Research Centre, termed urbanisation an inevitable reality and said that land use is going to be central to pursuing a balanced urban growth.
Prof Anisuzzaman, who attended the conference as chief guest, said rural people migrate to urban centres primarily in search of livelihood, apart form business, education and medical services.
Prof Sarwar Jahan of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) and architect Khadem Ali, vice chairman of CUS, chaired two sessions attended by leading architects and urban planners.
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