DHAKA THIS WEEK

Mahbub Husain Khan

This week two things have affected and will affect the general populace of Dhaka city and other cities in the country. The budget will in fact affect all of us thoughout the country. And the incessant rains for over two days have caused major disruption in the life of the dwellers of Dhaka city and caused the death of over one hundred people of Chittagong. Many more are missing in both these cities and elsewhere in the country. The rainfall, heaviest in the new millennium, was enough to clog many parts of the capital of Bangladesh. This has been due to the pitiable sewerage system, both the storm and surface water sewerages not being enough to tackle with the weather crisis, and a halt in the reclamation of canals in and around the city. The effect of the rains has made it clear that the drainage system is vulnerable. Most of the areas of Dhaka city, low-lying areas on the eastern periphery and in the different areas of the old town went under ankle to waist-- deep water due to the downpour.
   The DCC has built 1000 kilometres of open drains and 1055 kilometres of drainpipes while the WASA has built 240km of storm sewers. The city had once 43 canals and all of them have been encroached. The drive to reclaim the canals, which achieved some success, was postponed after the World Bank, donor for the canal reclamation project, directed that poor people among the grabbers had to be rehabilitated before their eviction. The WASA pulled down a number of houses and shanties on and along 12 canals before and after the monsoons in 2005 only to find those to be encroached again.
   
   Khals encroached
   Encroachment of the canals and water bodies, including Begunbari canal. Matijheel and Gulshan Lake, is rampant and outcome of which is water-logging after a little rainfall. Encroachment on natural water reservoirs, Katasur Khal (canal), Rarnchandpur Khal. Segunbagicha Khal, Jirani Khal, Shahjahanpur Khal, Mohakhali Khal, Dholai Khal. Kolyanpur Khal, Begunbari Khal, Ibrahimpur Khal and Mugdakhal is the major reason of water logging in different areas. Billions of cubic metres of sand are being dumped to fill up the low-lying areas to accommodate housing projects every day. Mile of natural canals and ponds have already been filled up.
   ]According to expert at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, the volume of average rainfall in Dhaka is between 1.400 to 1600 mm during the four months of monsoon starting in June. The monsoon rain in addition to causing flooding and disgorging of waters generates so much water within the embankment that we are forced to experience flooding on an unprecedented scale this week. In Chittagong, all of these problems have reached extreme levels because of the ravages of hill-cutting leading to landslides that have caused so many casualties.
   Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed addressing the Deputy Commissioners on Wednesday reiterated the government's determination to root out corruption. He told the field-level administrators to institutionalise the drive against corruption and to improve delivery systems so that people get the benefit of the reforms. The Chief Adviser reminded that an enlightened, patriotic, skilled and smart administration is necessary to build a knowledge-oriented and justice-based society. Reform steps undertaken by the Caretaker Government at the national level should also be reflected visibly in the local level administration, and only then people of all strata in the country will get the benefits of reform. He reminded the government officers about their constitutional obligation of serving people and urged the deputy commissioners to take this opportunity of serving the countrymen with utmost sincerity.
   
   High expectations
   The people's expectations from this government are very high and further steps should be taken to fulfil such expectations. Poverty alleviation programmes were also priority and here the DCs have to work with the concerned public agencies and NGOs. He also asked the DCs to be alert so that in no way the supply line of everyday commodities is disturbed and necessary steps should be taken in this regard through joint consultation between government and private agencies. Other crises such as power crisis should be attended to through joint efforts of the civil and military officials at the field level. And all of this will lead to the improvement of governance in the country.
   The CA and three other advisers in the government, as well as the CEC and the Chairman of the PSC have been part of the elite civil service cadre and they know that the Deputy Commissioner has been the key field level officer all along. The DCs have coordinated all the activities of the different public agencies, and reached the benefits of government's welfare-oriented programmes to the urban and rural population.
   The corruption of the politicians and the elected representatives of the people, which reached epic proportions in the new millennium, has disillusioned the people and the honest officials alike. As such there is no option for going back to those days. We need to look to the future where the country must establish its image as a corruption-free country with a functioning democracy steered by honest politicians. And the DCs have to implement the road-map to such a future where the people are free of oppression and the crippling effects of poverty. The CA's address has been timely and inspiring and the DCs should pay heed to the crucial elements of his speech. They should also work towards the creation of an environment for holding a free and fair election.
   
   Migrant workers
   At a seminar held at Dhaka on 'Policy Dialogue on Safe Migration and Remittances, organised by Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit (RMMRU), the adviser for Foreign Affairs stated that Bangladesh has mooted a proposal for a global collective effort to set minimum wages for migrant workers at different levels of skill and experience. This is necessary because labour movement and free flow of foreign capital has become an important part of the new world economic order. Any one country alone cannot implement the minimum wages. Hence the global community must be involved to implement the framework of minimum wages for migrant workers. As we know minimum wages for workers is a critical issue at home and abroad. Recently we have seen the garments workers agitating for minimum wage levels that can keep them adequately fed, clothed and sheltered. In this context it will be appropriate to mention here that Bangladesh is one of the first among the countries that have signed the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers, in 1998.
   It is therefore high time that countries such as Bangladesh, India. Pakistan, Sri Lanka, from where migrant workers go to the economically advanced nations, get in league with the advanced nations towards the framing of a minimum wages structure that would be in consonance with the income level of the citizens of the advanced countries and also sufficient for their living costs abroad and sending of remittances back to their homeland.
   Continuing on the theme of the streets and roads in Dhaka flooded or not, many new one-way streets and forbidden turnings either to the left or right have developed in the last thirty years. This confuses the city-dwellers and our taxi-drivers, not to speak of foreigners. In fact a foreigner comes armed with the name of his hotel only, and gets a companion here who takes him to his business or visiting destinations.
   
   Maze of Dhanmondi roads
   Some streets, like Eskaton, for example, take a turn and become their own side streets. If you continue along Eskaton you wi1l in fact be on Maghbazar road. Also signposts of streets are often in a corner unsighted by many travellers. And as you whizz by in car or taxi, you can often miss the name. Besides, with each cha Age in government, street names after now dead but important political figures of the party in power. In the case of Ershad, many roads and places (Ershad Army Stadium) were named after him. Where the roads have numbers, in residential areas, Road 3A may well be just after Road 2. In Dhanmondi, Road 32 was after Road 8, and after that it was 31, 30, 29, 28 and 27.
   The new one-way roads, and forbidden turnings, sometimes make it impossible to reach your destination. On a one-way street, you may well find your destination on the other side of the road, or on a parallel road, and you have to make a circuit of five or so kilometres to reach it.

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Holiday Desk

As per earlier decision the Election Commission will start preparation of the voters roll with photographs and national identity cards in a limited scale from the middle of July and the work will begin full swing across the country in August.
   The pilot project in the Sreepur Municipality area in Gazipur on the voters roll preparation is now going on and after its completion, the outcome of the pilot project would be reviewed. Based on the outcome of the review, the commission is expected to launch final work in the second week of next month in Rajshahi city corporation area.
   Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda told newsmen in his office on Wednesday that 'the ongoing task of the pilot project on voters roll in Sreepur will be completed on June 30. Another seven days will be required to evaluate the result of the project. Thereafter, we will go for final work possibly in the middle of next month at Rajshahi municipality area.' He said that the next zone for work likely to be the Khulna City Corporation.
   Shamsul Huda said this time they are going to the urban areas in a limited scale. But the work would start in full swing across the country after getting all the equipment in August.
   He said fieled level work in Rajshahi would be carried out with 900 units provided by the different local and foreign organisations to utilise the two months of June and July. As it is, the schedule is very tight.
   Before beginning full scale field work the commission will have to procure thousands of laptop computers and other equipment and appoint over 80,000 enumerators and train them.
   According to commission's plan, 16,000 units equipped with devices like laptop computers, fingerprint scanners and digital cameras will be formed after completion of necessary procurement by August this year.
   The CEC reiterated that the commission would complete the task within the announced 18-month timeframe which will expire in October next year.
   'Our outer limit is 18 months and we will certainly complete the task within the deadline. If necessary, national ID cards will be distributed later,' he said.
   Asked whether the commission faced any difficulties in completing its electoral reforms due to a ban on politics, he replied in the negative and said that electoral reforms might be delayed if the government did relax the ban on politics.
   'At this moment we do not feel any problem due to a ban on politics. It might delay our task. Although initially we had planned to complete the task in July, it might be delayed till December,' he said.
   'The elections will be held probably in October, November or December 2008', he said and added that the government will relax ban on politics at an appropriate time.

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