Commission wants one Dhaka, not two cities

The Local Government Reforms Commission has recommended the re-merger of the two currently divided city corporations - Dhaka North and South - to form a single metropolitan government. The proposal was made in the final report handed over to Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus on April 20.

According to the commission, the divided structure has not ensured the desired citizen services. On the contrary, it has increased administrative complexity, conflict in the division of responsibilities and service confusion. They believe that forming a single corporation will increase efficiency and coordination.

According to the model proposed by the commission, a central city corporation will be formed in Dhaka and 20 regional 'city councils' will be formed under it. Each council will be formed with 9 to 15 wards of the relevant area, which will be determined based on population.

The councilors of these wards will be elected directly by the people's votes. However, the mayor will be elected indirectly - through the votes of the elected councilors. According to the commission, this system will help in grassroots participation, accountability in services and quick decision-making.

The eight-member team led by the commission's head, Professor Tofail Ahmed, noted in its report that after the division into two cities in 2011, structural complexity and lack of coordination have hampered citizen services. Therefore, the proposal to share responsibilities through regional councils is timely, according to them.

However, there is controversy over the proposed structure. According to urban development experts, the main problem of Dhaka is not structural, but lies in the lack of administrative accountability, political interference and culture of corruption.

Urban planners say, "If there are more than one city, the distribution of responsibilities may be easy, but if there is no efficiency and coordination, structural changes will not be of any use."

Citizens' reactions are also mixed. Moniruzzaman, a resident of Uttara, said, "We can feel the lack of coordination between the two mayors. Roads are dug, but they are not repaired. If there is one, coordination may increase, but if the culture of corruption is not broken, nothing will happen."

Farzana Hossain, a schoolteacher from Mirpur, said, “Whether there is one city or two, mosquitoes are not dying, roads are not being repaired. Without the goodwill of the administration, nothing will be achieved with the structure.”

Syeda Lasna Kabir, a professor of the Department of Public Administration at Dhaka University, said, “Although two city corporations are logical considering the population of Dhaka, an effective legal framework is needed for independent decision-making. If the mayoral election is indirect, it will be against democratic practices.”

If this proposal is implemented, there will be a big change in the administrative structure of Dhaka. However, it remains to be seen what decision the government takes on this issue and how far it progresses towards implementation.