PPP projects obstacle to develop a planned city

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh on Wednesday said Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects and project-based work of different service-providing organisations are the barrier to developing a planned city.

"We are trying to turn the unplanned Dhaka into a planned city, but PPP projects of different organisations are creating obstacles," he said.

DSCC Mayor Taposh came up with the comment while talking to reporters after he visitted the cleaning works of Jirani canal adjacent to Trimohoni bridge at Gudaraghat of the city at noon.

The DSCC mayor said residents of Dhaka city saw results due to canals being cleaned last year and they have also started the cleaning garbage and silt from the canals on time this year.

Taposh said they are continuing their infrastructure development work, identifying places that were waterlogged last year.

"We have set up six feet diameter pipes to solve the waterlogging problem of Jurain, Postogola and Jurain Graveyard," he said. The mayor said they are doing this work with their own funds.

Gradually city dwellers will get the benefit of the works, he said. "But the projects which we had taken with the canals did not see the light of day so far which is very unfortunate. We are working on sending the project proposals again," he said.

Mentioning re-encroachment of canals, the DSCC mayor said they have observed that re-encroachment has been done (in Jirani canal), despite their eviction drive last year.

"Some bridges and walls were constructed on the land of the canal and shops were also erected on the water. We will evict the illegal structures again," he said.