Sayeda Rimi Sardar

Dhaka is the city of dreams.  Every day more than 8,000 people come to Dhaka from all over the country. Be it Sadarghat, Kamalapur or Gabtali – thousands of people flock to these different points throughout the day.  The only place to fulfill the dream is the city Dhaka.  Once upon a time, Dhaka was just a rickshaw city, but with the passage of time, this city has been transformed into a city of cars.  Not only this, bike sharing rides like Uber-Pathao are also ruining the life of Dhaka.  Bike rides are now the easiest way to get to any place or office-court.  People are leaning towards this day by day out of an indomitable desire to bring time within their reach.  We have a subtle tendency to disobey, including inefficient driving and ignorance of traffic laws.  The city of Dhaka is in turmoil today due to the endless misery of heavy traffic due to irregular and uncontrolled movement of both drivers and passengers. Long-term road development work is underway across the city on every lane and main road.  Metrorail project is going on as well.

Bangladesh is moving forward on the highway of development where the whole world has stumbled in the Corona period.  Due to the proportional increase in the population of Dhaka and its surroundings

Dhaka has been transformed into a helpless city of traffic for some time now.  Air pollution is also in the first-second place.  The dying rivers failed to provide clear water to Dhaka dwellers.  There is also uncontrolled noise pollution.  Horn and parking of vehicles everywhere has made this problem worse.  All educational institutions including schools and colleges are running along with the holy Ramadan.  There is no breath of relief in public life due to the intense heat of Chaitra.  The intense gas crisis, foul smelling water and rising commodity prices are all just dream books.  Yet the dream journey of the people has not stopped.  Despite being highly educated, no one is interested in working outside the capital.  The perimeter of Dhaka is constantly increasing in line with the needs of the people.  Dhaka is the only trusted city for various civic services including education, culture and medicine.  While other major cities of the country have facilities, the common man has no choice but to visit Dhaka.  Due to these various reasons, the pressure of people is increasing in Dhaka.  Digitization has made it easier to keep in touch with families even from afar, but on the other hand, the villages have lost their greenery, the touch of bricks and stones, the serene air has now sultry carbon.  There are no native fish in the river.  Vegetables are all hybrids.  People accustomed to urban life can no longer live in a village.  Dhaka is a reliable place to overcome insecurity.  Many came to Dhaka for seasonal farming.  These extra people are sheltered on the sidewalk.  Many live inhuman lives.  On the other hand, reputed restaurants and the issue of adulterated and expired food has taken on a very important and complex shape.  Buyers and consumers continue to suffer, even if they are fined under the supervision of a mobile court.  Dedarse is also running a counterfeit business for baby food and essential medicines.

After a long two years, Dhaka is on the verge of transmitting life in public life.  But why is this dream city losing its life?  If you notice a little, you can see the movement of bikes or rickshaws on the sidewalk.  There is no rule of thumb.  Freight trucks have been loaded in the wholesale market since noon.  But their time is fixed.  Various necessities including market are being sold in vans everywhere.  This is not the end.  Most people go to Dhaka for their children’s education and culture.  Even if they are educated in the village or in the town of Mofasbal, in the reality of the age, the only place of hope is that the child will not be left behind.  Even for treatment, no one can think except Dhaka in the end.  People from low-income families think very easily and if nothing else, at least there are job opportunities in garments.  Again many lost everything in the river and migrated to Dhaka.  He came to Dhaka in the war of life and dreamed of living anew.  Rickshaw-van spends at least one day at a time.  Another thing to note is that begging has increased dramatically in various streets, markets, hospitals and court premises, which is really disappointing.  During the last two years, of course, the economic landscape around the world has changed dramatically.  We must also face that loss.  Work areas are slowly returning to normal.  The indomitable courage of Bangladesh Police is really admirable in this background.  The sacrifices made by the traffic police during the Corona period and in these scorching heat or sudden stormy weather are highly commendable.  Uncontrolled noise pollution from uncontrolled vehicles is a serious threat to their health, according to research by environmentalists. Where the lives of ordinary people are threatened by this noise, water and air pollution is a very serious threat to a traffic policeman all day long.  The rivers near Dhaka are often dead.  The water in the rivers today is toxic due to chemicals, plastics and garbage.  But the river country is Bangladesh.  If the river does not survive, how will the agricultural main country survive?  How to supply drinking water in big cities?  Talking to the fishermen, it has been learned that many of them have contracted complex diseases due to the stinking water gas.  These low-income people are still struggling to survive.  But every moment they are moving forward little by little on the brink of death.

There is no alternative to public awareness to make Dhaka livable.  This is an issue that needs to be carefully considered by the government so that infrastructure development does not clash with the lives of ordinary people.  Development is the necessities of life, not the opposite of life.  Today’s child is tomorrow’s Public resources.  This is the responsibility of the state.  Both the government and the people have a leading humanitarian role to play in bringing back the vibrancy of life in the capital.  We have to take the country forward not as an opponent but as a companion.  The country is ours so we have to take the responsibility.

The writer is a journalist, women’s rights activist, social and environmental worker.