Chittagong, July 14 — Parts of a mega infrastructure project adjacent to the Bay of Bengal caved in on Saturday, prompting people to raise allegations of irregularities and corruption.
Category: Urban issues
Aedes mosquito: Legal notice to Dhaka South City Corpn
Dhaka, July 11 (UNB) – A legal notice has been served to Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor and its chief executive officer asking them to provide Tk 50 lakh as compensation for its failure to take any effective measure…
Air pollution may age your lungs faster, says study
Dhaka, July 11 (UNB) – Exposure to outdoor air pollution is linked to decreased lung function and an increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study of over 300,000 people published Tuesday, reports The Indian…
Rickshaws to ply on fixed lanes and by-lanes: Mayor Atiq
Dhaka, July 10 – Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Atiqul Islam said QR code will be set up in registered legal rickshaws to identify illegal ones. He also announced that except on lanes for non-mechanical transport or by lanes,…
India’s Pink City Jaipur gets UNESCO World Heritage tag
Dhaka, July 7 (UNB) – A day after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the government’s plan to turn 17 ‘iconic’ tourist sites into world-class destinations, UNESCO announced Jaipur City in Rajasthan as a World Heritage Site in India, reports The Indian Express. …
6-year UNDP plan to improve livelihoods of Dhaka’s 4 mn poor
Dhaka, July 3 (UNB) – The United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) in collaboration with the government of Bangladesh has launched a six-year project for improving the living standard of the capital’s 4 million poverty-stricken people. The project titled ‘Livelihoods Improvement…
Rickshaw movement on 3 Dhaka City roads banned from July 7
Dhaka, July 3 (UNB) – Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokon on Wednesday said the movement of rickshaws on three major roads in the capital will be restricted from July 7. The three roads are Kuril to Saydabad via…
BD High Court directives to bring discipline back on roads
Dhaka, June 20 – In a verdict, the High Court yesterday issued a set of directives to bring back discipline on the road and reducing road accident across the country. While delivering a judgment, the HC bench comprising Justice JBM…
How urban consumption drives global emissions
Strong action from mayors, business and citizens is driving down emissions created locally. But emissions from urban consumption of goods like food and clothing, along with materials used to construct urban buildings, are set to double without action. Emissions due…
Dhaka North City Mayor promises to develop city slums
Dhaka, June 8 (UNB) – Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Atiqul Islam on Saturday said they will take steps to develop slums as well as ensure physical and mental development of slum children. He came up with the remarks…
Consumer Rights Protection official’s transfer halted
Dhaka, June 4 – A day after transferring him to the Road Transport and Highways Division, the government on Tuesday revoked the transfer of Deputy Director of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) Manzur Mohammad Shahriar, who led…
Dhaka’s wayside shops attract fixed-income people
Dhaka, June 2 – A large number of vendors have set up makeshift shops on the capital’s footpaths and lanes along major streets and markets to claim their stakes in the frenzied Eid shopping. These shops, offering goods at cheaper…
Welcome to GAFA land of tech giants where winner takes all
by Susanne Wixforth Amazon symbolises the four platform giants, also known as GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon). The company is Europe’s largest platform retailer and its turnover is twice as high as that of its 20 largest competitors. While…
Keep footpaths free to avoid jam on roads: Dhaka North Mayor
Dhaka, May 25 (UNB)— Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam on Saturday said that the city’s footpaths must be kept clear to reduce traffic congestions. “Since footpaths are occupied illegally, people are forced to walk on the roads. If…
Hasina opens 2nd Meghna, Gumti bridges on prime BD highway
Dhaka, May 25 – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday inaugurated the much-sought 930-metre Second Meghna Bridge and the 1410-metre Second Gumti Bridge on Dhaka-Chittagong highway, aiming to reduce the plight of travellers on this vital national highway. The Prime…
Act urgently on climate change: Urban 20 Group urge G20
Mayors and Governors of U20 cities, including Tokyo, Berlin, Jakarta, Rome and Osaka will present the Urban 20 Communiqué to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ahead of G20 Summit in Japan U20 urges G20 leaders to ensure greenhouse gas emissions peak…
The monetization of garbage
By Stephen Nwaloziri Berea, Kentucky – As a child growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, in the late 1990s, I remember women roaming through my community and chanting in Yoruba, “onigo de o! Anra bata rubber ati ayo t’on jo.” This…
Managing Dhaka’s congested traffic remains a distant cry
Dhaka, May 19 (UNB) – Road discipline in the capital remains as bad as ever even after observing many traffic weeks and awareness campaigns, and carrying out drives by law enforcers. Transport sector experts have identified poor traffic and bus management…
Cities for the people
By Abhas K. Jha Singapore – Dante’s Divine Comedy describes one level of hell (the City of Dis) as “Satan’s wretched city … full of distress and torment terrible.” He could well have been describing many modern-day metropolises. The world,…
Dhaka’s supply water contaminated in 59 city areas: Report
Dhaka, May 16 (UNB) – Water supplied by Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) is contaminated in 59 areas under its 10 zones, according to a report submitted to the High Court on Thursday. Local Government, Rural Development (LGRD)…
High Court tells of negligence in making Dhaka City livable
Dhaka, May 15 (UNB) – Apparently expressing its displeasure over air pollution, mosquito menace and repeated digging of roads in the capital, the High Court on Wednesday said two city corporations have negligence to make Dhaka as a liveable city.…
The urban anxieties of the middle class
ACROSS THE GLOBE, THE most common symptom of middle-class life is not the celebration of consumption, opportunity and professional white-collar jobs, but the anxiety that all of those achievements could disappear. It’s seen in our concerns about college admissions, retirement, taxes…
Dhaka to have sweltering hot weather for some more days
Dhaka, May 9 – The people would not get relief from the summer hot spell as the ongoing condition is likely to continue in the next three to four days across Bangladesh, said the met office. The highest temperature recorded…
People in a Mumbai waste-filled slum barely make it to 40
by Apekshita Varshney • Every day, 9000 metric tonnes of waste goes to the 134-hectare Deonar dumping ground in Mumbai. • The life expectancy of people living around the dumping ground hovers at 39 years, as against an urban life…
Dhaka North City moves to enforce fire safety in buildings
Dhaka, Apr 18 (UNB) – Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) is going to form three committees to ensure that all the buildings under its jurisdiction have fire safety measures. The decision was taken at a views-exchange meeting held at the…
Building resilience through waste diversion and reduction
CASTRIES, Apr 12 2019 (IPS) – Jua Kali is a social enterprise tackling waste management and helping to reduce reliance on St. Lucia’s only landfill, which will reach the end of its lifespan in 2023. The company, with its slogan ‘Trashing the…
Smart cities hold key to sustainable development
BANGKOK, Thailand, Apr 3 2019 (IPS) – Asia and the Pacific’s phenomenal development has been a story of rapid urbanization. As centres of innovation, entrepreneurship and opportunity, cities have drawn talent from across our region and driven economic growth which has…
Paris, Milan, C’hagen laud London’s ultra-low emission zone
Mayor of Paris and Chair of C40 Cities, Anne Hidalgo. “Bravo Sadiq Khan, for implementing one of the largest and most comprehensive Low Emission Zones of any city in the world. The ULEZ will undoubtedly bring long-lasting benefits to London,…
20 buildings to be declared ideal in fire safety: Dhaka N Mayor
Dhaka, Apr 6 (UNB) – Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Atikul Islam on Saturday said 20 buildings will be declared as ideal considering their fire safety measures. The mayor came up with the remarks after inaugurating the activities of…
Builders, users of buildings must ensure fire safety: Hasina
Dhaka, Apr 5 (UNB)— The people who construct buildings and use them should ensure that there are no incidents of fire, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Friday. She said whenever a fire breaks out, it is the fire service’s responsibility…