New mayors have miles to go

Winning an election battle is indeed a happy moment, but the two mayors-elect of the "unlivable" Dhaka city's north and south parts may not feel so relieved.

They tried to lure voters with grand promises, but every step they take will be closely watched in the next five years.

Mayor-elect of Dhaka South City Corporation Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said he would ensure essential civic services within 90 days. 

Meanwhile, Dhaka North City Corporation mayor-elect Atiqul Islam said he would speed up the ongoing development projects.

The duo are well-aware of the mosquito menace that city residents have been facing for a long time. Last year was the worst; at least 129 people in Dhaka died from dengue, the Aedes aegypti mosquito-borne infection.

While seeking votes, Taposh said he would start anti-mosquito drives on his first day in office. Atiqul said he would partner with the health ministry and the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) to introduce integrated vector management.

Dr Kabirul Bashar, zoology teacher at Jahangirnagar University, said the city corporations would first need to make the city corporation staff, insecticide suppliers, and the sprayers accountable.

Kabirul served as an entomology advisor to the previous mayors of Dhaka city. "Upgrading the mosquito control workforce is crucial. Also, the smooth supply of insecticides is a must". 

"Scientific procedures should be followed while applying larvicide and adulticides (an insecticide used to kill adult insects). There should be anti-dengue campaigns throughout the year." 

The demography of Dhaka South is different from that of Dhaka North. So, Kabirul suggested forming a mosquito-control committee in each locality of the packed Dhaka South. 

Around 45.6 percent of Dhaka residents suffer from waterlogging, says the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Development. Taposh and Atiqul know that too. So, they separately promised to modernise the city's drainage network. 

Nurul Islam Nazem, secretary at the Centre for Urban Studies, said, "Though Dhaka Wasa deals with storm-water drainage, the city corporations have to take the leading role in relieving people of waterlogging."

The new mayors will need to come up with solutions to the infamous Dhaka traffic congestion. They will, at least, have to coordinate the public transportation and the traffic management authorities. 

Atiqul said he would complete the bus route rationalisation that his predecessor Annisul Huq had started. He also promised to start electronic ticketing and a passenger-friendly transportation system.

Taposh said he would introduce separate lanes for motorised and non-motorised vehicles, including rickshaw, bicycles, and horse-drawn vehicles. "There will be hop-on, hop-off buses for city travellers."
 
Atiqul said electric buses will be used to control air pollution. Both of them have promised to rid the footpaths of hawkers. 

Professor Md Shamsul Hoque of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology thinks that the mayors' promises are nearly impossible to keep. 

"They would not have made such promises if they knew the heart of the problems. All the previous mayors have failed. And there is no unilateral authority to facilitate route franchise for public buses. Also, city corporations do not have the power to manage traffic."

As a lawyer, Taposh knows that the existing City Corporation Act 2009 makes the city corporations responsible for city planning. But the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) does the work. 

Taposh said Dhaka South would formulate a city plan from now, and other service organisations would have to follow that plan. 

Atiqul was for a smart city with collective efforts of city planners and service organisations. 

Dr Adil Muhammed Khan, general secretary of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners, said that at first, Rajuk and Dhaka Wasa need to be brought under the city corporations' jurisdiction.

"City planning is a challenging task as it is dependent on political decisions. But in developed countries, they all work under one authority. If not all the organisations, then at least Rajuk, Dhaka Wasa, and BTCL should be brought under the city corporations' authority," Adil said.

The new mayors also promised to conserve the heritage of Dhaka while beautifying the city. 

Nazem said, "It is necessary to identify and conserve famous and historically valuable sites first. The people who are now holding the sites privately should receive incentives or compensation."

Asked what the mayors can do about fire safety, Nazem, also a geography and environment teacher at the University of Dhaka, said, "Rajuk has to play the most effective role of providing fire safety as it starts with the setting up of a building. The city corporations can make the building owners follow fire safety measures."

Taposh emphasised the necessity of holding fire drills at all localities. He also wants to create Dhaka South Corporation's own fire service.