Can the new Detailed Area Plan cure Dhaka's ills?

Only if Rajuk has the will and organisational capacity

Filling up a water body is in violation of the conservation law

A special plan and a national data bank will be set up to transform Dhaka into a modern and livable city, LGRD Minister Tajul Islam -- also convener of the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) -- said today.

Last week, at a conference about urban development hosted by World Bank, almost all the municipality mayors of Bangladesh were present to share their experiences with experts and mayors from different other countries.

Heavy rains combined with traffic congestion brought the capital to a grinding halt on Wednesday as city dwellers went through untold sufferings to reach their destination wading through knee- to waist-deep water.

We had the Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan (DMDP) previously, the duration of which was 20 years, from 1995 till 2015. There were three stages of that plan: Structure Plan for the whole city area, Urban Area Plan, which was for ten years, and Detailed Area Plan (DAP).