Trees cut for development work when there are no alternatives: Mayor Taposh

Sometimes the authorities have to cut down trees for development works when there is no other option and the Dhaka South City Corporation has decided to plant three saplings for every tree felled, Dhaka South Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh have said.

"Some may be shocked and get upset due to cutting trees. It is their passion. Many people are making generalised comments without knowing the full details. In fact, many times trees have to be cut for development works, which is very sad. But we only do it when there is absolutely no other way," the Dhaka South mayor told journalists after visiting the Heritage Zone-5 on Wednesday.

Mayor Taposh said, "We will definitely plant other trees in place of the trees that had to be cut down on Dhanmondi Satmasjid Road. We have decided to plant three times more trees if we need to cut trees for development works. We will plant more trees on that road divider."

Moreover, Dhaka South will plant about 10,000 trees in the coming monsoon season. So this is an ongoing process, he said.

"We have already planted about two lakh trees in the last two years. We will plant over 1 lakh trees in the old Buriganga area. Furthermore, we will plant hundreds of thousands of trees under the projects passed regarding our canals. We have plans to make Dhaka greener," said the Dhaka South mayor.

He also said, "Some people are making generalised comments saying that trees are cut without consulting any urban planners. We have three urban planners. Since I have assumed office, we have been working together with various architects, urban planners, historians, whether it is a project, our own activities or anything else.

"But no one sees the plan. They watch only when we go to work according to the plans. But we have to do a lot of back-end work to implement the development projects."

Mayor Taposh also said the Dhaka South City Corporation has taken an initiative to create seven heritage zones to make Dhaka a tourist-friendly city.

He said, "Since assuming office, my first goal has been to preserve the traditional and historical structures in Dhaka. Secondly, we want to create a beautiful environment for local and foreign tourists, so that they can come here to understand the heritage of Dhaka and enjoy it.

"We have seen in foreign countries that tourism industries are developed in the historical cities. We want to develop a tourism industry in Dhaka in the same way to attract tourists. For that purpose, we are creating seven heritage zones."

Out of the 74 gazetted heritage buildings in Dhaka, 66 are located in Dhaka South.