We want a liveable Dhaka, not to turn it into Canada, Australia or Singapore: Shahe Alam

The government does not want to turn Dhaka into Canada, Australia or Singapore but aims to make the capital a liveable city, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam has said.

"We will not say we will make it Canada, Australia or Singapore. But we want to build a liveable Dhaka," he said while inspecting the Jirani Khal in Nandipara under Dhaka South City Corporation's wards 74 and 75 this afternoon (27 September).

The state minister also said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman wants to build a liveable Dhaka with clean streets, no waterlogging, restored canals and adequate spaces for pedestrians.

"29 and 26 canals in Dhaka would be cleaned and restored, while retaining walls, tree plantations and walkways would be developed along the canals. The government has also taken initiatives to restore the five rivers surrounding Dhaka to their previous condition and make them suitable for navigation," he added.

Explaining the purpose of his inspection, Shahe Alam said he visited four canals to assess the progress of ongoing work and provide necessary instructions to the authorities.

He directed officials to complete a significant portion of the canal restoration work during the dry season and make the canals useful for reducing waterlogging and public use.

Regarding a bamboo bridge over the canal, he said it would be replaced with an RCC bridge soon. However, illegally constructed bridges would not be converted into RCC structures, he said.

"Those who have occupied canals and built houses there will be evicted this year," he added.

Asked about the progress of the canal restoration project, Shahe Alam said a committee formed during the previous government had made no progress in restoring the canals.

"There was zero progress," he said, adding that the new government had formed two separate committees for Dhaka North and South city areas.

He said government land had been marked with red flags in different areas and steps would be taken to recover the properties in coordination with the administration and local residents.

The current progress of canal restoration stands at 17-18%, he said, adding that work would be accelerated during the dry season.

On concerns that the canals could be occupied again in the future, the state minister said the city corporations would monitor and clean the canals throughout the year.

Seeking cooperation from city residents in cleanliness drives to prevent dengue, he said the government alone could not build a clean city and that public participation was necessary.

He also said the administrators of Dhaka North and South city corporations were working around the clock to free footpaths from encroachment without considering whether they would receive votes from the people.

Speaking about the government's activities, Shahe Alam said the people had entrusted the government with responsibility. If the government failed somewhere, it would apologise to the people, he said.

He also said the electricity and gas situation was gradually moving towards a solution and urged people to give the government more time.