No alternative to a city government for a planned Chattogram, CCC administrator Shahadat Hossain tells seminar
There is no alternative to establishing a city government to build Chattogram as a planned, clean, green, healthy, safe and smart city, Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) administrator Dr Shahadat Hossain has said. He made the remark at a seminar at the World Trade Center hall in Chattogram on Friday (November 6).
Parvin F Chowdhury, president of the Commonwealth Journalists Association, Bangladesh chapter, presided over the seminar titled 'Chattogram: Economic Gateway and Lifeline of Bangladesh', organised by the association. Amirul Haque, president of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, presented the keynote paper. Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) engineer Belayet Hossain and other concerned persons took part in the discussion.
Dr Shahadat Hossain said a lack of coordination among the government agencies involved in the city's development and civic services is causing long delays in implementing many promising projects. To overcome this situation, all service-providing institutions need to be brought under one integrated administrative structure, he said.
He said Chattogram is the heart of Bangladesh's economy. The country's main seaport, industries, trade and commerce, tourism and vast potential for international connectivity have grown around this city. But because of a lack of coordination among service providers and long administrative procedures for project approval and implementation, that potential cannot be fully used, he said.
According to the administrator, institutions involved in the city's development and civic services — including the CCC, CDA, Chattogram WASA, the Water Development Board, the district administration and the police administration — must be brought under an integrated structure. Integrated planning, decision-making and accountability can be ensured while keeping each institution's own legal responsibilities intact, and an effective arrangement like a city government is needed for that, he said.
Explaining the need for a city government, he said responsibility for the city's road construction, water drainage, land management and vehicle control lies with different institutions. As a result, building a modern city through fragmented planning is difficult. Coordination must exist in every area of development to turn Chattogram into a green, healthy, safe and smart city, he noted.
On waterlogging, Dr Shahadat Hossain said the CDA and the city corporation are implementing various projects to resolve this major problem of Chattogram; canal excavation, drain renovation and drainage improvement work are under way. But for a permanent solution, canals, drains, water bodies and the natural paths of water drainage must be managed in an integrated way. Alongside project implementation, regular maintenance and a clear division of responsibilities must also be ensured, he said.
On using Chattogram's economic potential, the administrator said that alongside the readymade garment industry, agriculture and human resources, promising sectors such as tourism, commercial industry, the leather industry and semiconductor technology must be given importance. Chattogram's geographical location, seaport and communication system have created a major opportunity to attract investment in these sectors. But for lack of necessary infrastructure, policy support and quick administrative decisions, that potential cannot be fully used, he noted.
Speaking of plans for an environment-friendly city and a solar power project on the other bank of the Karnaphuli River, he said he has been trying for about the past year and a half to build solar-based industry and an environment-friendly city there. Under the 'One City, Two Town' concept, planned development can also create scope for solar power generation. If a city government is established, decision-making to implement such initiatives will be more integrated and effective, he said.
Stressing the need to build Chattogram as a true commercial capital, Dr Shahadat said merely declaring it a commercial capital will not be enough; the activities of banks, insurance, international trade-related institutions and important economic services must also be expanded to Chattogram. If most of the country's financial and administrative decisions remain capital-centred, Chattogram's real commercial importance cannot be established, he said.
He said that during the tenure of former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, an initiative was taken to build Chattogram as a commercial capital. There was also a plan to strengthen Chattogram's position in international trade by establishing infrastructure such as the World Trade Center. Important discussions and decisions took place around 2004, but the plans were not later implemented at the expected pace, he noted.
The administrator also said long-term planning must be adopted for Chattogram. He has raised the issue of planned urbanisation and the need for a city government before the prime minister as well. The city's roads, transport, waterlogging, environment, industrialisation and investment should be managed under one integrated plan, he said.
Speakers at the seminar stressed building fast and improved communication systems among the country's main cities to use Chattogram's economic potential. They raised the need for modern transport infrastructure to bring Dhaka-Chattogram travel time down to about two hours, expanding the activities of important financial and service institutions outside the capital, and planned urbanisation friendly to industry and trade.
The speakers said that to strengthen Chattogram's role in the country's economic development, infrastructural capacity must be increased, fast goods transport ensured, an investment-friendly environment created and effective coordination among government agencies guaranteed.
