Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury on Wednesday called for paying attention on how to elevate the backward section of the society with a view to minimising the disparity between the rich and the poor.“We have some progress in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) though 31.5 per cent people are still living below the poverty line. But question remains as to what extend we have been able to remove disparity between the rich and the poor,” she said while launching a publication ceremony at a city hotel.
All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Extreme Poverty and Urban Pavement Dwellers organised the function to mark the publication of its study titled “Parliamentarians can make differences/ Pavement Dwellers’ Right to Survive.”
The Speaker emphasised the need to look after the pavement dwellers in the city saying that the overall poverty alleviation programme might be hampered if the pavement dwellers remain uncared.
She said special measures should be incorporated in different policies relating to poverty alleviation.
“We have to determine first as to what we can do for the pavement dwellers and what do they want,” she added.
Chowdhury also called for providing basic amenities to the pavement dwellers until they are rehabilitated.
Presided over by Md Israfil Alam, MP, chairperson of APPG on Extreme Poverty and Urban Pavement Dwellers, the function was also addressed, among others, by State Minister for Industries Omar Faruk Chowdhury, State Minister for Social Welfare Promod Mankin, AKM Musa, Chairman of Centre for Urban Studies, Dhaka University Prof Nazrul Islam and teacher of Department of Geography, DU Prof Nurul Islam Najem.
Country director of Concern Worldwide, made a keynote presentation on the study titled “Parliamentarians can make differences/ Pavement Dwellers’ Right to Survive.”
Shishir Sheel, secretary general of APPG on Extreme Poverty and Urban Pavement Dwellers, Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad, moderated the function.
Lawmakers from the ruling Awami League and Jatiya Party including Baby Moudud, Pinu Khan, Rawshan Jahan Sathi, Kabori Sarwar, Naryan Chandra Chanda, Rubi Rahman, Shahiduzzaman Sarker, Hafiz UddinAhmed, Moazzem Hossain Sarker, Prof Ali Ashraf and opposition MP ZIM Mostafa Ali, among others, took part in the open discussion.
Omar Faruk Chowdhury said emphasised the need for taking coordinated programme for the city dwellers.
Promod Mankin said the local government should take effective measure to ensure amenities for the pavement dwellers.
Prof Nazrul Islam called upon the government to take measure to rehabilitate the pavement dwellers as they were rehabilitated at Demra, Tongi and Mirpur in 1974.
He said according to a survey conducted in 2005, the number of pavement dwellers in the city was only 20,000.
Nurul Islam Najem said in most cases the poor people compel bound to come to Dhaka due to lack of work.
He said about 30 lakh poor people live in Dhaka and five out of 300 poor people of the city live on pavement. – Staff Reporter
