LGRD Minister
Buildings in capital must have septic tanks: LGRD Minister
Every house, government and non-government buildings must have its own septic tank for sewage management in the capital, said Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam on Sunday.
“Sewerage lines should not be led directly into lakes or canals,” he said at a workshop on ‘Safe Sewage Management: Things to Do' organised by Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) at the city’s Nagar Bhaban.
The minister said, “About 99 per cent of buildings in Dhaka have been built violating laws and regulations. And most of the houses in the capital do not have septic tanks.”
As there is no septic tank, the sewerage line goes directly into the canal and lake polluting the water and threatening species, including fish, the minister added.
Also read: Buildings having rainwater harvesting system to get tax waiver: DNCC Mayor
“There is no scope to allow construction of any infrastructure without septic tank for waste management,” said Md Tajul directing the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) to be more careful about these matters before approving the design.
He said consumption has increased due to an increase in purchasing power of people and so has the garbage.
He further said, “Naturally this garbage has become a challenge for management. And this challenge is not only in our country but also in other countries of the world.”
The government is working to address this challenge, he said, mentioning that it is going to generate electricity from waste soon.
He said both the city corporations are working tirelessly to make the capital Dhaka a modern, beautiful and liveable city.
“Many occupied canals have already been recovered. Work is underway to repair and re-excavate the canals to make them navigable. Many changes will take place in the city once the work is completed.”
Also read: Ensure fire safety in high-rise buildings: PM
UNICEF Country Representative Mr. Sheldon Yett was the special guest at the event presided over by the DNCC Mayor Md Atiqul Islam.
Earlier, the LGRD minister visited various stalls related to the use of modern technology in waste management.
LGRD minister blames soaring prices of essentials on pandemic & war
The prices of essential commodities have increased not only in Bangladesh but also in other countries of the world due to the ongoing global situation, said Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam on Friday.
The minister said, apart from Bangladesh, commodity prices have risen in almost all countries of the world including India, China, England, and Singapore.
Read: Covid fallouts, Russia-Ukraine war behind price hike: PM
He was talking to the reporters after the Bangladesh Youth Cadet Forum (BYCF) Ex-Cadet Camp-2022 at the proposed Sheikh Kamal Krira Palli in Cumilla.
The LGRD minister said production in many industries has declined due to the Covid pandemic. “Communications were halted and fuel prices rose to record levels.”
Besides, the Russia-Ukraine war has affected the global market, he added.
“The government was trying to control the prices of essential commodities for the people of the country,” said the minister.
Tajul said “It is not possible to reduce the price of all products suddenly if you want to.”
“Even then, the government is trying to keep the prices of daily necessities within the reach of the people,” said the minister, adding that the government has decided to reduce VAT (value added tax) on imported essentials so that people can buy at lower prices.
He further said the purchasing power of the people and the per capita income has also increased. “And so the demand for products has also increased, so has the impact on prices.”
Read: Strict monitoring to check price hike of commodities during Ramadan: Munshi
He also mentioned that the prices of products are increasing due to increasing production cost.
Cumilla City Corporation Mayor Md Monirul Islam Sakku, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Kamrul Hasan, Superintendent of Police Faruk Ahmed PPM (Bar), and Adarsha Sadar Upazila Chairman Advocate Aminul Islam Tutul were present at the event among others.
City corporations' approval will be needed for construction work: LGRD Minister
Approval will be needed from the concerned city corporation along with Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) in order to erect any kind of establishment in Dhaka,
Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam made the announcement on Sunday while attending a meeting at the secretariat on evaluations of measures taken by the city corporations to resolve waterlogging issue in Dhaka and Chattogram ahead of monsoon.
The minister asked the city mayors to stay alert about anyone facing harassment while taking approval from the city corporations.
The minister said concerned ministry, department, office, organisations, private organisations or individuals will need to seek approval for constructions and arrangements will need to be made to monitor them after giving approval.
Md Tajul Islam said, “There are many bridges in Dhaka city and adjoining areas but they have no navigation facilities for vessels. Decision has been taken to construct new bridges by breaking the old ones keeping navigation facilities.”
Also read: Buildings having rainwater harvesting system to get tax waiver: DNCC Mayor
Mentioning occupation of canals and water bodies as one of the main causes of waterlogging the minister said in this monsoon there will be no waterlogging as Dhaka North and South City Corporations are working to ensure no such public suffering occurs.
He said both the city corporations have already started eviction drives to remove these illegal occupations and the north city corporation is working to make the city beautiful along with creating water retention ponds.
Also read: Recovered city canals will end waterlogging and add beauty: LGRD Minister
Minister Tajul Islam decided to form a sub committee led by additional secretary of LGRD Ministry for solving waterlogging, to recover the canals and repair them at Chattogram City Corporation.
Recovered city canals will end waterlogging and add beauty: LGRD Minister
LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam on Tuesday said all canals in Dhaka city will be freed from illegal encroachment to help ease waterlogging and enhance its beauty.
“If we can free the canals from illegal encroachment, it will help ease waterlogging problems in the city,” he told reporters after inspecting the eviction of the illegal establishments at Ramchandrapur canal in the Basila area of Mohammadpur.
He said those who invested huge money in illegally building these establishments occupying government land will be affected. But they should have known better, he said adding this will send a message against future illegal encroachment.
Read: NCC election deemed free and fair by international community: LGRD Minister
He said the government won’t tolerate any further illegal occupation of government land.
The government has taken a project to launch water transports after linking canals in the city and the work to connect canals will start soon, said Tajul adding “We should bring back the heritage of Dhaka city.”
NCC election deemed free and fair by international community: LGRD Minister
The Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) election has been viewed as a fair one by the international community, said Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam.
The Minister said this to the reporters after a meeting with Indian High Commissioner Vikram Kumar Doraiswami on Tuesday.
Read:NCC Polls: Ivy rewrites history with a hat-trick
He said that Narayanganj city polls were witnessed by the entire nation, diplomats and the media. The diplomats had discussed among themselves that the election was free and fair. Though votes have been cast via Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) Awami League candidate won a huge number of votes.
Nationwide safe drinking water supply grid is under works: LGRD Minister
The government will launch a long-term project on the supply of drinking water across the country through the use of internal sources of water, said LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam on Thursday.
“A study is underway to implement a master plan for setting up a water grid line to supply drinking water across the country, including the coastal areas,” he told a program on ‘Expansion of Citywide Inclusive Sanitation and Innovation of Sanitation’ organized by ITN-BUET at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in the capital.
Read: DAP to be finalised by January: LGRD minister
He said the government is setting several Economic Zones to attract both local and foreign investment and industrialisation. He also said that water will be pumped from the Meghna River to the Mirsarai Economic Zone.
Regarding a new water treatment plant to be set up by Chattogram WASA, Tajul said many other WASAs, including Dhaka WASA, have set up water treatment plants under the LGRD to solve the country's drinking water problems.
In addition, the Public Health Engineering Department has been working on water and sanitation for marginalized people.
Meanwhile, regarding safe sanitation, he said that urbanisation has increased the problem of city sanitation not only in Bangladesh but elsewhere in the world. This has to be solved through an integrated programme.
Read: LGRD minister calls for public awareness to prevent dengue
About power generation from waste, the minister said that all kinds of waste including household and medical waste should be dumped in certain places. “Everyone must be aware to protect the environment.”
He said that many houses in the residential areas of Dhaka city do not have their own septic tank. Their wastes are generally dumped directly into lakes or canals.
“A campaign is being run to make everyone aware about this,” he added.
BUET Vice Chancellor Prof Satya Prasad Majumder, Senior Secretary of LGRD Helal Uddin Ahmed, BUET Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Abdul Jabbar Khan and Deputy Director of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Dr Roshan Raj Shrestha were present at the event.
Dengue cases likely to come down within a month: LGRD Minister
The number of dengue cases is expected to decline within a month, said Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam on Monday.
“Many people had left Dhaka for a long time due to restrictions for Covid-19 and Eid vacation and during this period Aedes mosquitoes breed in stagnant water in the houses and under-construction buildings, leading to dengue outbreak . But the situation will improve within one month,” he said.
The minister was speaking at ‘BSRF Dialogue’ organised by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the secretariat.
Read: 'National laws need to be revised to tackle dengue menace'
Replying to a question, Tajul said, “This year, dengue cases marked a sharp rise comparing to the previous two years and the main reason behind it is Covid restrictions and Eid holidays,”
There was no planed initiative in controlling mosquitoes in 2019 and the country witnessed 1405 dengue cases as some steps were taken in 2020, said the minister adding “We witnessed rise in deaths and cases in 2021. The main reason behind the outbreak is climate change.”
Citing the dengue outbreak in different countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore and Philippines, the minister said Bangladesh’s dengue situation is better than those countries.
“Many children died of dengue and many people lost their relatives this year. We don’t want to lose anyone and we’ll take steps from this years’ experience.”
Referring to the foreign tour of Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor during dengue outbreak, Tajul, said the DSCC mayor went abroad due to family problem and he had informed me about it.
Talking about the Detailed Area Plan (DAP), the LGRD minister said it is expected to be finalized in December.
Read: Faulty designs in Chattagram waterlogging projects will be rectified: LGRD Minister
“There is no scope to build Dhaka like other beautiful cities in the world as many high-rise buildings have already been built in an unplanned way and it is the abode of about 2 crore people. We can’t ask people to leave Dhaka forcibly. That’s why we are expanding civic amenities to the urban areas,” said the Minister.
Speaking about the development and the renovation works during monsoon, Tajul said “We are thinking about it and the process to take action against those involved in irregularities is underway.”
BSRF President Tapan Biswas and its general secretary Masudul Hoque , among others, spoke.
DAP to be finalised by January: LGRD minister
The Detailed Area Plan (DAP) that will guide the future construction of buildings in Dhaka city, the use of land and demarcation of canals and flow areas is expected to be finalized in next few months, LGRD minister Tajul Islam said on Wednesday.
He made the remarks at a meeting of the technical committee on DAP held in the ministry’s conference room.
"In order to finalize the DAP, we have already met with all stakeholders such as urban planners and architects. If everything goes well, the DAP will be finalized and published in the form of a gazette by next December or January,” he said.
The minister agreed that many buildings with faulty designs have been constructed over the years tarnishing the beauty of the capital and putting the lives of its residents at risk.
He also conceded that many of such buildings were established occupying government lands and canals.
Read:Dhaka's skyline: DAP wants buildings not to get taller than 8 storey ones:
The minister warned that under no circumstances can these be allowed to happen again.
Buildings must be constructed in accordance with the design and building codes, he said adding that engineers and all other relevant authorities must play a proper role in ensuring the rules.
Faulty designs in Chattagram waterlogging projects will be rectified: LGRD Minister
LGRD Minister Tajul Islam on Wednesday said the authorities will soon take up the issue of reported faulty designs in infrastructure built to solve the waterlogging problem in the port city of Chattagram.
“Issues regarding waterlogging in Chattogram will be taken care of soon in coordination with the concerned agencies including Ministry of Water Resources, Chattogram Development Authority, Port Authority and City Corporation,” the minister said.
Read: Government mulls National Water Grid Line: LGRD Minister
He said this while addressing an inter-ministerial meeting titled 'Flood Control, Waterlogging Reduction and Drainage Development in Chattogram Metropolitan City' at the Water Resources Ministry meeting room on Wednesday.
“The Ministry of Water Resources is implementing a project in flood control, waterlogging and drainage in Chittagong metropolis. Besides, a similar project is also underway at the initiative of CDA. It has been directed to reconsider a few designs of these projects at the meeting,” the minister said.
“The construction of infrastructures for the waterlogging project should be realistic and sustainable so that the people of Chattogram can enjoy the long-term benefits of the project. No negligence will be tolerated in this regard,” Tajul added.
Read: LGRD minister calls for public awareness to prevent dengue
Responding to a question from reporters on the dengue situation in the country, the minister said, "We are making a concerted effort to stop the spread of dengue. Concerned ministries, city corporation mayors, councillors and volunteers are working tirelessly.”
He said there is no substitute for awareness to prevent dengue.
“We have taken all kinds of initiatives to make the people aware. Extensive publicity is being carried out everywhere on television and in newspapers. But if people remain callous then dengue will be difficult to deal with,” the minister said.
Cattle markets to be set up maintaining health guidelines: LGRD Minister
Alongside the online sale of sacrificial animals, cattle markets will be set up across the country following health guidelines ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, said Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam on Tuesday.
“Eid-ul-Azha is the second biggest festival of Muslims and people’s emotion is involved in it. Last year, cattle markets were set up amid the Covid-19 pandemic and this year the government has also decided to set up cattle markets by maintaining health protocols including social distancing,” he said.
The Minister came up with the information while addressing an inter-ministerial meeting virtually over the preparations of Eid-ul-Azha.
There will be one way communication in the cattle markets and the exit and entry points will be separate, said Tajul.
Also read: Cattle markets open in Dhaka amid low arrival, high prices
Besides, the authorities concerned will take measures to ensure that all will maintain health guidelines at the markets , he said.
All necessary tools including temperature measuring machines, hand sanitizing tools and soap must be kept at cattle markets, said the Minister.
He also asked the authorities concerned to remove the waste of sacrificial animals within 24 hours.
Tajul also urged people to buy cattle online. “All necessary steps have been taken ensure buy and sale of cattle online and necessary measures will be taken to ensure social distancing in the cattle markets.
Already the government has taken steps to create awareness among people through advertisement and a guideline was issued from the Health Directorate about waste management and cattle purchase,” he said.
Also read: 10 cattle markets to be set up maintaining health rules: DNCC Mayor
Issuing a warning, the LGRD Minister said “No cattle market will be allowed at places that disrupt traffic movement and legal action will be taken against those who will violate the order.”
He also asked the public representatives to monitor the overall situation in the cattle market.
Mayors of all city corporations, senior secretaries and high official concerned of the Local Government Ministry joined the meeting.