In the changing circumstances, a new plan is being developed for the life of Dhaka city and its citizens. Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) is working on the “Fair Urban Charter.” The administrator of DNCC, Mohammad Ejaz, has announced the assurance of equal civic amenities for all. He shared his action plan with Bonik Barta. The interview was conducted by Al Fatah Mamun.

The Eid procession and fair organized by DNCC are a new addition to the city’s celebrations. What inspired you to initiate such an event?

When I took on the responsibility, I told the DNCC team that the people of Dhaka had a particular wish – they wanted a large Eid jamaat. People from areas like Uttara, Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, and Mirpur expressed a desire to have a major Eid prayer in their neighborhoods. Even before I became the administrator, while working with the city’s residents, I understood this need. A large congregation has cultural significance, and we’ve seen such grand celebrations since the Mughal era. There’s an Eidgah from the Mughal period on Sat Masjid Road, where they used to march to the Eidgah in a procession and return in the same way. Thinking about how we can promote the culture of Bengali Muslims, we organized the Eid procession, along with distributions of semai, batasha, sweets, and musical performances. Another major aim behind this was to help people heal from the trauma after the fall of fascism, and we hoped that the Eid festivities would be a means of bringing joy and relief.

You’ve been serving as the administrator for almost two months now. What are the notable things you’ve been able to accomplish, and what are your plans for the future?

The main goal is to make Dhaka a fair city. A fair city means creating and implementing plans to ensure that everyone living here gets equal access to services, based on their rights. For example, areas like Gulshan and Banani have seen substantial investment, but poorer, newer neighborhoods haven’t received the same level of attention. Areas like Mirpur, Mohammadpur, and the new 18 wards will receive priority in our budget allocations. Informal settlements make up nearly 40 percent of the city, and they face the greatest environmental risks. If we can make significant environmental improvements, these vulnerable communities will benefit the most—improving their health and economic conditions. After that, my priorities will focus on public health and ensuring cultural equality.

At DNCC, we have 25 listed playgrounds, but many are under the control of private clubs or individuals. Over the past two months, we’ve reclaimed two large plots, each about 22 bighas. One is in Kanchkura, one of the most underdeveloped areas in DNCC. We’ve turned one acre of land into a playground, and we’ve reclaimed another 22 percent nearby, where we plan to build a hospital and a healthcare center. The other playground we’ve reclaimed is in Bawniya, where there was once a truck stand. Here, we’re creating an urban folk studio. In the past, Dhaka’s streets used to be filled with public gatherings—this was a part of the city’s culture. We’re dedicating a space for urban folk, where people can play sports, and enjoy the local cultural activities. Our goal is to reclaim all 25 fields before Eid, and alongside this, we’ll hold public hearings to identify spaces for the public. We’ll invite local people to tell us where we can create public spaces in their areas. Then, we’ll work with urban planners, architects, and engineers to come up with a basic design. These spaces will offer opportunities like libraries, places for tea and casual gatherings, where people can chat—just like how people in villages spend time together.

In the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) of Dhaka, nearly 500 acres of land have been identified for the construction of park areas around water bodies, specifically in the DSCC area. Some of these places still have water bodies, but others are occupied. If we stop the encroachment, we’ll be able to create large public spaces. Our plan is to create one major public space every month. Next week, we’ll open up two acres of land behind Mirpur Mazaar. To protect the city from disasters like earthquakes and fires, there is no alternative to reclaiming public spaces and creating water bodies.

What is the progress of canal reclamation in Dhaka?

Right now, the project being led by our Environmental Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, is focused on reclaiming 18 canals in Dhaka. You’ll be glad to know that in the past month, we’ve reclaimed one of Dhaka’s oldest rivers, the Konai River, which was on the CS map. If we manage to connect this river with a double canal, it will be possible to travel by boat from Uttara to Mirpur. If that happens, we’ll be able to say that we’ve successfully restored one of Dhaka’s lost rivers.

You mentioned that you’ve reclaimed the river, but from what I understand, it was once a canal, and now it’s been listed as a river. What do you mean by reclamation? Doesn’t reclamation typically involve re-excavating or restoring water flow? But that has not been done in this case…

We’ve actually done significant excavation. It used to be a drain, and in some places, there was hardly any flow of water. Now, it’s over 25 feet deep. We’ve followed the old maps and used excavators to dredge and restore the river. There used to be barely enough water to cover knees, but now it’s 25 feet deep. If you don’t call this reclamation, then what would you call it?

What progress has been made in providing essential services like birth registration and trade licenses?

After taking over, I focused on identifying the areas where people were facing the most inconvenience. I found that a major issue was birth registration and marriage and divorce certifications. After the end of fascism, many executive magistrates replaced councillors as zonal heads. They’re handling additional responsibilities, but when it comes to services like birth registration, marriage certificates, and heir certificates, councillors can handle these tasks more easily, whereas executive magistrates struggle with them. Another major delay was with trade licenses. People were paying between 500 to 1,000 BDT for a license, but the total cost for getting it was often 15,000 to 20,000 BDT. When I took charge, I implemented an online system for trade licenses, so now people no longer have to spend extra money.

[This interview was originally conducted in Bangla and published in both the Print and Online editions of Bonik Barta. It has since been translated for the English edition.]