Dhaka South to set up AI-based automatic traffic signals: Mayor

Dhaka South Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapas has said that infrastructure will be built at 53 traffic intersections in South City to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based automatic traffic system.

"Consulting firms have been appointed to develop physical infrastructure and install AI-based automated traffic signals at 53 traffic intersections. Preparation of development project proposal for this project is going on," said the mayor in a press conference held at Nagar Bhaban on the occasion of three years of taking charge as the mayor of Dhaka South.

The mayor said, "We have initiated to shift bus terminals from Dhaka to reduce the pressure of inter-district buses on the city. As a part of that, land development work is going on to establish an inter-district bus terminal at Kanchpur. Besides, the process of establishing a new terminal at Baghair in Keraniganj is ongoing."

While detailing the various development activities taken in the last three years, Mayor Tapas said that to control hawkers on the sidewalks, Dhaka South roads and pavements have been marked red, green and yellow. No hawker will be allowed to sit in the red-marked area. Hawkers in green-marked areas will be free to do business for 24 hours and in yellow-marked areas hawkers will be allowed to do business during certain hours.

Regarding waterlogging in the city, the mayor said, "Earlier, about 70% area of the city used to be submerged in water with a little rain, but after I took charge, we constructed and developed infrastructure at 136 places at Tk225 crore with our funding."

The mayor claimed that in the last three years, Dhaka South has been able to bring radical changes in waste management activities and reduced the amount of garbage on roads and footpaths to 20% in the last three years.

The construction of new Interim Waste Transfer Centres in 36 wards in the last three years has increased the number of such centres to 58, which was only 22 in past.

Taposh said Dhaka South has been able to provide relief to the city dwellers through its dengue control programme in the last three years.

Mayor Taposh said, "Previously, mosquito control operations were limited to 57 wards, with an average of four workers assigned to each ward, and just one supervisor overseeing four or five wards. We have strengthened mosquito control activities by appointing 13 workers and one dedicated mosquito supervisor in each ward."

Dhaka South most corruption-free institution in the country

Mayor Taposh said among all government entities in the country, corruption is the least in Dhaka South.

"The objective was to establish a well-governed and corruption-free Dhaka South. In these three years, I can say Dhaka South is the most corruption-free institution," he added.

The mayor said that more than 500 officers and employees including 109 drivers of heavy vehicles have been appointed to reduce the severity of the shortage of required manpower.

"We have evicted the illegal occupiers of many markets including Fulbaria Super Market, Sundarban Square Market. Similarly, dozens of illegal multi-storied buildings and structures built around Buriganga Adi Channel have been cleared," he said.

"On the eve of the mayoral election, I promised to establish good governance without imposing any tax burden on the people of Dhaka. As per that promise, we have not increased any tax in any sector in the last three years. Rather, 25 new sectors have been created during this time and we have started collecting revenue from 14 new sectors," he added.