Plagued by perennial problems, Dhaka and Chittagong -- our two major cities -- go to polls on April 28. What will a mayoral hopeful do to solve those problems if elected? How all the modern amenities will be ensured? What is his vision for the future of the city? Looking for the answers, The Daily Star has talked to a mayoral candidate. 

A sick and dying city, an eerie ghost town and deleterious -- these are the phrases Tabith Awal finds appropriate to describe the present state of Dhaka.

And the BNP-backed mayor hopeful of Dhaka North City Corporation pledges to "rebuild and reshape" the city if he wins the mandate in the April 28 elections.

"If the face is the mirror of a person's character, the capital city is perhaps the mirror of a nation's character," 36-year-old Tabith, who got the BNP endorsement after his father BNP leader Abdul Awal Mintoo had been disqualified from running the mayoral race, commented in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star on Thursday.

"No other city in any civilised country would allow such a situation deleterious to human life. In fact, civilised countries would have declared parts of the city abandoned and enforced evacuation ... It has all the symptoms of a sick and dying city," he said in English.

"Therefore, the city must be rebuilt, reshaped by a renewed city administration which will improve city life by initiating structural changes," added Tabith, a science graduate from George Washington University, USA. He currently looks after the family business and has an annual income of Tk 1.76 crore, according to his wealth statement submitted to the Election Commission.

And in doing these, he plans to take help from his father, who has done several research work on Dhaka city, and other experts.

MAJOR PROBLEMS

"The city governance has reached such a deplorable stage that it could be no worse ... Citizens are enduring immense misery. Basic civic amenities are just not there. Pollution is the highest among all comparable cities," Tabith said, while speaking about the city problems that need immediate attention.

"Only 75% of the city's population has access to the water supply. Of 13 lakh cubic meters of effluent produced daily, only 1.20 lakh cubic meters are treated. The sewerage system covers only 20% of the population .

"Only 50% of 4,000 tonnes of solid waste is collected daily. That also is transported in open trucks and during the daytime.

"Drains are choked with solid waste causing flooding in many parts of the city during the rainy season. Only 55% of the city area is covered by some sort of drainage system.

"Billboards, neon signs and pillars everywhere make the city look like an eerie ghost town and these distractions cause daily accidents. Roads are narrow and incapable of handling the increased traffic. Slow-moving, non-motorised vehicles constitute almost 56% of all traffic, and they occupy 65-70% of road space.

"Poorly constructed roads, open sewerage and drains, manholes without covers and streets without lights render movement on foot around the city extremely hazardous.

"Contaminated air and water make the city a breeding ground for epidemics of all types of infectious and injurious diseases. Many parts of the city are unfit for human habitation.

SOLUTIONS?

First of all, the attitudes of city corporation employees must be changed so that they understand what their jobs are, and they should be made aware of the consequences for failing to deliver, Tabith said.

Stressing on the need for decentralisation of power, he said a councillor and the people in his ward should have the authority "to decide on assessment and payment of taxes, development work, primary education, peace in community, garbage collection, cultural activities, etc".

The mayor has to ensure suitable conditions for economic growth, and that the institutions, assigned to improve the quality of health and education, are properly functional, he said.

"The mayor has ... to ensure that the city administration provides adequate, effective and efficient services to fulfil citizens' needs, ... [and] has to take the initiative to involve the private sector in order to improve the efficiency of public services.

"Services should be decentralised and privatised as much as possible to increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness," he said, adding that the city administration has to be freed from external political influence.

"All new recruitment and promotion should be done through a committee on the basis of merit only.

"The legal department [of the DNCC] should be capable of ensuring the enforcement of full functional authority of the city corporation.

"Citizens' committees should be involved as watchdogs. Independent consultants should be appointed to ensure the quality of jobs done.

"The system of tax and fee collection should be harmonised, and record-keeping computerised and systematised," added Tabith, who is likely to face a strong challenge from the ruling party-backed mayor aspirant Annisul Huq, in the battle of ballots.

"The city environment has developed a slum character. Something must be done for our children to be able to continue living in this city," he concluded, asking the people of Dhaka North to vote for him for a better and safer city.