Secretary General of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Quader Gani Chowdhury has said that the traditions of Old Dhaka should be revived.

"This requires planned management. Losing our traditions like this will eventually make us cultureless. And this is not desirable for us in any way," he said.

The journalist leader made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of the Dhaka Metropolitan Association (Dhaka Association) at the Lalbagh Sagun Community Centre on Saturday night.

He said Old Dhaka is an incomparable heritage, an irreplaceable chapter of this nation. Old Dhaka has a thousand-year-old tradition.

"The culture, customs, traditions, and ceremonies of Old Dhaka all have their own uniqueness. The culture of Dhaka has developed within its own scope, and the residents here are proud of it. And this is the pride of the entire nation.

"The Dhaka that we know now is not the real Dhaka. The true Dhaka is Old Dhaka. The authentic Dhaka is located on the banks of the Buriganga."

But today, the Buriganga is also dying, and the same is true of Dhaka. Once, people used to sit on the banks of the Buriganga and breathe freely, but now the stench makes them vomit.

He also said that many people live there, but Old Dhaka is really not livable. After the Nimtali and Chawkbazar fires, there is no need to explain this.

"Due to the lack of a developed environment, many of the  people here are moving to Dhanmondi, Gulshan, Banani, and Uttara," he added.

The first condition for livability is security but it is not present in Old Dhaka.

Due to rapid urbanisation, the capital's Old Dhaka is facing the risk of losing its history and vibrant architecture. This Old Dhaka, which is shrouded in rich culture, is losing its identity, Gani said.

Chaired by Dhaka Association President Ismail Nawab and moderated by General Secretary Abu Motaleb, the discussion was attended by Mohammad Ali, Mohiuddin Ahmed, Nizam Uddin, Haji Abdus Salam, Abdur Razzak, Azim Baks, and others.