Dhaka metro govt proposed: combining Gazipur, N’ganj with capital giving them city corporation status

Members of the parliamentary standing committee on the local government ministry at a meeting yesterday discussed forming Dhaka metropolitan government combining Gazipur and Narayanganj to improve city life.

Members of the parliamentary body suggested that Dhaka City Corporation should be divided into two parts each having a mayor to better city life.

The committee members also suggested upgrading Gazipur and Narayanganj to City Corporation.

The committee at the meeting held at the parliament building decided to scrutinise Pourasava Bill keeping the provision of lawmakers’ advice mandatory for pourasava mayors.

The body recommended creating posts of two deputy mayors including one for woman.

“Most of the committee members at the meeting called upon the government to form Dhaka metropolitan city as well as the metropolitan government combining Gazipur and Narayanganj after upgrading them to city corporation,” Advocate M Rahmat Ali, chairman of the committee told reporters after the meeting.

“The committee, however, did not make any decision or recommendation in this regard,” he added.

“We need to talk with the government, experts, mayors and councillors of all city corporations about the issue before taking any decision,” Rahmat said.

“We need to discuss how the utility services will be integrated and how they will function once the metropolitan government is formed,” he said.

“We will fix a date to talk on this issue with all mayors and councillors after getting the nod from the government,” he added.

The committee members also suggested splitting Dhaka City Corporation into two separate entities having two mayors,” Rahmat Ali said.

“As the chairman of the committee I did not make any recommendation over their opinion as I need to talk more on that,” he said.

Rahmat cited names of some cities including Kolkata, New York, London, and New Delhi where the city is divided into two.

Replying to a question he said all members of the committee gave their opinions in favour of Dhaka Metropolitan government.

The committee also asked all deputy commissioners to investigate the alleged misappropriation of money worth Tk 135 crore during the BNP-led four-party alliance government in giving government allocation under Gram Sarkar.

The committee asked them to place the report before the committee within next 45 days.

S: The Daily Star

Dhaka Decided to connect with Asian Highway Network

The government has decided to connect Bangladesh with the proposed Asian Highway Network (AHN), Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain said today.

After a meeting of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network, Abul Hossain told reporters at his office that the decision would benefit the country.

“We will present the summary in the next cabinet meeting for the government’s approval. We would inform the government’s decision to the UN-ESCAP after approval,” the minister said.

“The agreement would be signed as per the routes proposed by the UN-ESCAP.

“If we can be connected with the Asian Highway Network, our communications and trade with Asian countries would be boosted. It would flourish our tourism industry,” Abul Hossain added.

The communications minister ruled out the possibility of having safety of Bangladesh endangered by the highway.

The proposed three routes are Benapole-Jessore-Kanchpur-Dhaka-Sylhet-Tamabil, Banglabandha-Hatikamrul-Dhaka-Kanchpur-Sylhet-Tamabil and Dhaka-Kanchpur-Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf-Myanmar border.

WiMax, international gateway for Bangladesh soon

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission is likely to introduce WiMax and international gateway technology soon, said its chairman Zia Ahmed today.

“Anyone can take licence for operating WiMax and IGWs as there is huge demand in the market,” Ahmed told reporters on the sidelines of a workshop on ‘Recent Trends in IP Telephony at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel.

He said the licence would be made available within three months after revising present International Long Distance Telecommunication Services (ILDTS) policy.

REVE Systems, a leading IP Telephony solution provider with customers in more than 50 countries, organised the workshop.

Private sector stakeholders now hold three IGWs and two WiMax licences. WiMax licences fixed up at Tk215crore through an auction by the BTRC last year.