Move underway to finish Annisul’s dream projects

FT ONLINE

Dhaka North City Corporation has taken a move to complete the unfinished projects taken by its late mayor Annisul Huq on priority basis to make the city green and livable one.

Although some problems have arisen after the death of Annisul Huq, DNCC officials and employees as well as its ward councillors are trying to complete the ongoing projects taken by the late mayor, said panel mayor Osman Gani.

Gani has been performing as the DNCC mayor since Annisul's death.

At his Nagar Bhaban office in Gulshan-2 area, Gani said the projects and programmes initiated by Annisul will continue. "We're trying to complete those works anyhow," he said.

Mayor Annisul's dream projects include running 4000 new modern passenger buses in the city streets, bringing all the bus owners under one umbrella, rooftop gardening, removing Tejgaon truck stand, construction of 11-12 U-loops from Mohakhali to Gazipur crossing, zero-slope footpaths for the visually-impaired people and modern public toilets, bringing the whole north city under CCTV coverage and setting up LED streetlights, beatification of both sides of New Airport road from Kakoli Crossing to Airport Crossing.

Among the projects, the rooftop gardening project has been implemented by Green Dhaka, a private organization. Some 15 public toilets have been implemented by Water Aid.

When his attention was drawn to the Tejgaon Truck stand area which has been grabbed again after it was freed from illegal occupation with Annusul's lone initiative, Osman Gani said he has already visited the area but did not get any sign of reoccupation.

He said a number of big godowns, including CSDs, are there in the area. Trucks and covered-vans, which are engaged in loading and unloading at those godowns, sometimes park their vehicles there haphazardly, he said.

The road, which was beautifully constructed from Satrastha crossing to Tejgaon truck stand level-crossing area after the eviction, will be named after mayor Annisul Huq and a signboard in this regard will be hung there within this month, he said.

About the construction of U-loops at different city strategic points, Osman Gani said though the construction of 2-3 U-loops are going on, the works are yet to be finished as the land owners concerned refused to hand over their land free.

He said though the land owners once had assured mayor Annisul verbally to give land for the construction of U-loops but now they are unwilling to do so. "We've already written to the ministry concerned that the DNCC will not pay for the lands," Gani added.

About the rooftop gardening, he said it was mayor Annisul's long-cherished dream to turn most rooftops of high-rises and multistoried buildings into gardens as part of efforts to create a green city.

"The encouragement for rooftop gardening will continue," he added.