North Dhaka Mayor Annisul Huq threatens 'bad news' for those opposing development

Those opposing development are in for some 'bad news', says North Dhaka Mayor Annisul Huq.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 23 Jan 2016, 03:07 PM
Updated : 23 Jan 2016, 07:32 PM

The mayor spoke about his plans for a 'Smart Dhaka' during a meeting with editors and senior journalists at Sonargaon hotel on Saturday.

He discussed the initiatives taken during his nine months as mayor to reduce traffic congestion and clear the footpaths of illegal encroachments.

Referring to development-related bodies, Huq said, “I want everybody to cooperate on this. There will be bad news for those who don’t cooperate.”  

The mayor explained how the truck stand and illegal billboards were evicted from Tejgaon, then he announced several new plans.

“Footwalks in North Dhaka will be free of illegal structures by the end of April.  One thousand CCTVs will be installed for security before June. There will no longer be wall graffiti or illegal billboards.”

Huq promised there will be no dirt on Dhaka’s roads in two months from now. To tackle the city’s transport crisis, he said old buses will be taken off the streets and replaced by 3,000 new ones.

The journalists thanked the mayor for removing the old truck stand in Tejgaon, but asked him to ensure that it is not occupied again.

'Just two inches'

Mayor Huq asked the editors for ‘two inches of space’ to run stories for raising public awareness to beautify Dhaka.

“We put a lot of focus on the removal of the truck stand from Tejgaon,” said Daily Samakal editor Golam Sarwar. “Not one or two inches, you’ll get good coverage if you do good work.

“In the same way, we’ll most definitely write critical reports if we find something wrong,” he said.      

Janakantha editor Atikullah Khan Masud said the authorities should not sit around after clearing footwalks of illegal encroachments. Continuous vigilance is needed to ensure they don't return, he said.

Financial Express editor Moazzem Hossain advised the mayor to develop Dhaka with public–private partnership initiatives.

Manabjamin editor Motiur Rahman Chowdhury said trucks could still be seen at night in Tejgaon at the site of the erstwhile truck stand. He urged the Mayor to make sure the area was not occupied again.

Religious meetings should take place on the bank of Turag River so that people in the city do not suffer, said Ittefaq’s acting editor Tasmima Hossain.

She spoke of how the gathering by Kutubbagh Darbar Sharif at Farmgate Park causes huge inconvenience to the people.

“But don’t just talk about dreams, make sure they are implemented,” said Kaler Kantho editor Imdadul Haq. 

Prothom Alo editor Motiur Rahman, Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam, Bhorer Kagoz editor Shyamal Dutta, Bangladesh Pratidin editor Naem Nizam, Banik Barta editor Dewan Hanif Mahmud and Dhaka Tribune editor Zafar Sobhan were also present during the interaction.