Sunday 30 August 2009

ঢাকা Dhaka is the capital

Dhaka
ঢাকা Dhaka is the capital of BangladeshDhaka District (Dhaka division) with an area of 1463.60 sq km, is bounded by gazipur and tangail districts on the north, munshiganj and rajbari districts on the south, narayanganj district on the east, manikganj district on the west. Annual average temperature maximum 34.5°C, minimum 11.5°C; total rainfall 1931mm. Main rivers are Padma, Kaliganga, Dhaleshwari, Ichamati, Shitalakshya, Buriganga; small rivers are Bangshi, Turag, Balu, Elamjani, Alam, Bherujkha, Ramkrishnadi, Elisamari, Tulsikhali. Noted Beels Belai, Saldaher, Labandaher, Churain, Damsharan and Kiranjir Beel. Dhaka (Town) stands on the bank of the river Buriganga. It consists of seven principal thanas (dhanmondi, kotwali, motijheel, ramna, mohammadpur, sutrapur and tejgaon) and 14 auxiliary thanas (gulshan, lalbagh, mirpur, pallabi, sabujbagh, cantonment, demra, hazaribagh, shyampur, badda, kafrul, kamrangir char, khilgaon and uttara), 130 wards and 725 mahallas. It has an area of 304 sq km. The town has a population of 5378000; male 56.62%, female 43.38%; population density per sq km 17691. Literacy rate among the town people is 62.3%. Dhaka municipality was established in 1864 and was turned into a Town Committee in 1960. The name of the Town Committee was changed to Dhaka Municipality in 1972. It was turned into a Municipal Corporation in 1983. Finally it was elevated to City Corporation in 1991. Dhaka is the capital city of Bangladesh. The town has 88 cinema halls, 351 clubs, 55 playground, 136 government and private hospitals and clinics, 4 parks, 4 national stadiums, 17 public and private universities, 4 government medical colleges, 11 private medical colleges. Other important establishments include Bangladesh Supreme Court, High Court, Judge Court, diplomatic missions of many countries, Bangladesh Secretariat, National Museum, National Zoo, and head offices of various sector corporations government departments, business houses and NGOs.

Unplanned traffic system in Dhaka.

Let me ask a blunt question. How many readers do think that Dhaka is simply unlivable? Read on. You will know why am I bringing this unpalatable topic for discussion.

Let us for once accept the fact that Dhaka is one of the most unplanned cities of the world. It is a small wonder how this megalopolis manages to survive. Nonetheless, it manages to function somehow. To many Dhakaites, who had been living in this city of nearly 7-8 millions, which is a guesstimate (guess + estimate), the city may be limping and managing to survive somehow, but to outsiders (read westerners) the city as it stands now, is quite unfit for living. There is, however, some merit in thinking that way. For the sake of discussion, let us only discuss the ailing traffic situation, which is deteriorating by the days. There is no sign anywhere in the horizon that anyone could see which may point towards a sea change. In one word, the worsening traffic situation is at best nightmarish. And at its worst, it could be a seen from hell.



This side road leading to Farmgate is also clogged with rickshas

Let me admit this fact that traffic hardly moves in Dhaka’s main artery during rush hours. Many folks from mercantile community would prefer to leave their house late in the morning to simply avoid the all too familiar rush hour traffic jams. But their number is few and far between. Most Dhaka folks who work in government offices, schools, and other offices have no choice but to hit the road during the morning rush hour. These folks obviously take the brunt of rush hour traffic jam. If one thinks that it is an exaggerated statement, then one should climb up to one of those over bridges near Farmgate, Karwan Bazaar, or Bangla Motors to take a peek at any of the ubiquitous traffic jams. One could see the crawling vehicles, as far as the eyes would allow one to see, lining up the avenues near the bustling intersections. Come to think of it, there are quite a few intersections near Farmgate. This clearly indicates that Dhaka’s road system is unplanned from the very beginning. Did anyone wonder as to why there are many roads going East-West direction starting from Old Mymensingh Road, which is now lovingly called the VIP road? In the early 1960s, when some these roads were built, there were some powerful people who lived at the far end of Indira Road. These folks exerted undue pressure on DIT Urban Planners so that Indira Road should stay the same. The government could have easily widened Indira Road then, but that would have spelled disastrous for those powerful landowners. Their houses would have been consumed by the widened Indira Road. Therefore, the government decided to erect a parallel road next to Indira Road. Well, now you know why do multiple roads go East-West parallel to Indira Road. Incase you are wondering who is the mastermind behind this manipulation, it is none other than Mr. Doha (popularly known as I.G. Doha; I.G. stands for Inspector General of Police, which he was during the late forties and early fifties in East Pakistan), who happened to be in the cabinet of Ayub Khan in late fifties. Political connections pay off in our part of the world.



Oh, what a mess near Farmgate!

Forget the personal anecdotes! Let us move into the Twenty First Century Bangladesh. You see, by any stretch of imagination, Dhaka is not a huge place. The width (east-west direction) is hardly few miles. The city could have moved only in the North-South direction. This imposes a serious restriction on the availability of land. But this severe paucity of land had hardly diminished the growth rate of this burgeoning city. Any legitimate city planner worth his salt would not recommend the city of Dhaka for people over 1-2 million. The ever-growing population had easily exceeded this capacity by six folds, already. And there is no sign that the population growth in this city is abating. Where will it end? This is not mere a speculation if anyone says that Dhaka's population will be twice as much as it is now by 2016 at the rate of 5% growth rate. Can anyone imagine what will it be like then? The present road system of Dhaka, which is hardly adequate for moving vehicles for 1-2 million people, will virtually collapse when the population of this megalopolis will reach a staggering 10-12 million. It is to be hoped that urban planners of Dhaka are doing theirs clearheaded thinking right now or else the system will collapse right before their eyes.

There is no dearth of demographers in Dhaka whose sole business is to make projection on population distribution, its growth, etc. Respected institutions and NGOs dealing with Bangladesh’s population problem also routinely hire some of these experts. Once in a while, we read excerpts from their speeches or reports in newspapers. But very seldom do we read or hear their forecast on ever-growing traffic congestion. Do they realize that it is already causing a serious problem? This massive traffic congestion is taking its toll on human health, economy, environment, and myriad other anthropomorphic activities. The price tag is rather high when people have to spend hours unnecessarily on the road in sweltering heat. Never mind the high humidity. The resulting misery generated by the high heat and humidity takes its toll on human health. To add insult to the injury, the unpleasantness this high misery index generates slows down the productivity of a person. No wonder, the average productivity of our office worker in Dhaka is not up to par with office workers in the West. But then who cares about the productivity enhancement of our people?



Unplanned traffic system in Dhaka.
One side is clogged while the other side is virtually empty!

The traffic problem of Dhaka is hindering the growth of the megalopolis and Bangladesh, both. The traffic is not only stodgily slow, it is erratic and unpredictable. On every intersection the drivers become quite unruly. A first time visitor may think that Bengalis are the most wild bunch who have no respect for law of the land. This is indeed a serious matter. It will be unwise to think that a would-be-investor would bet his bottom dollar thinking that productive work could be generated in this chaotic nation. In any roundabout in Dhaka the plying babytaxis, rickshas, buses, etc., form multiple lines. They do this to grab a tiny space out of sheer desperation. Behavioral scientists have long since done experiments to show that even insects demonstrate aggressive behavior when they are placed in a crowded situation. Therefore, it comes as no surprise to see that Dhaka’s pedestrians, thelawallahs, rickshawallahs, babytaxiwallahs, vanwallahs, and bus/truck drivers all vie for tiny spaces with noticeable aggression and utter disregard for others’ right of way . This obviously creates serious problems such as unnecessary traffic holdup and minor fender bender incidences. Nonetheless, there is a price tag for such bizarre behavior. Serious vehicular related accidents are growing with an accelerated rate everywhere in urban areas of this impoverished nation. But somehow the urbanites of Bangladesh -- more specifically the Dhakaites -- are oblivious to growing traffic prooblem. Some even shrug off this urban nuisance calling it a mere unpleasant experience.



Rickshas and more rickshas near Holycross College in Tejgaon




While I was in Dhaka and Chittagong city in June 2001, I saw a whole slew of babytaxis plying the main thoroughfare without any regard to pollution control. Mind you, these two-stroke engine babytaxis are renowned for being the principal polluter in Dhaka and elsewhere in Bangladesh cities. Whenever the traffic stops near an intersection, one can clearly see a plume of engine fume coming from the tailpipes of babytaxis. It is a small wonder why these vehicles are allowed to ply the streets of Dhaka, Chittagong, and elsewhere. There must be a strong lobby from the babytaxi owners’ association to keep this pollution maker from crisscrossing the streets of our megalopolis. Through legislation, the government could very easily stop importation of the new engines from India. We all know the phrase – "If there’s a will, there’s a way." If the Civil Society of Bangladesh wants to stop these polluting machines, then they could easily start a movement to ban these two-stroke engines from entering Bangladesh. Until that happens, more lungs will be damaged by the toxic fumes. More benzene and other harmful toxic organic molecules will find its way into human body as babytaxis shoots out black stuff into our airspace. The other wholesale polluter that I saw in Dhaka and Chittagong was diesel-fueled bus and trucks. In the West we have seen diesel-run vehicles but they don’t seem to emit black fumes through their tailpipes. Surely, there are mechanisms to trap the black particles from leaving the engine exhaust system. But in Bangladesh, either the mechanics tweak the system or the pollution control device stops from working. In the end, the results are same. They pollute heavily. But there is an air of apathy. No body seems to care about this fouling of the air. I hope this attitude change in the near future. Or else, there will be a whole bunch of people afflicted with respiratory problem. There is such a thing call Price Tag for modernity. The Bangladesh civil society cannot afford to look the other way thinking that everything will be A-Okay if things go unchecked with the proliferation of two-stroke engine babytaxis and diesel-fueled trucks and buses. These are truly ugly machines that mankind has invented. Sooner they leave Bangladesh’s soil the better it would be for our people.



Anatomy of a traffic Jam.
Rickshas, buses, people all comingling...




In this short article, I have covered a lot of base concerning the congestion of traffic and potential pitfall stemming from stalled vehicles on the road. There should be more write-ups in Dhaka’s newspapers, especially in the vernacular one so that ordinary folks know the danger of traffic jam and related pollution problem. What ideally one wants to see is Dhaka’s road unclogged and pollution free. The government thus far is keeping a blind eye to all this hoping that the problem will be solve by it self or by a divine intervention. We all know that none of these will happen. The civil society has to find a realistic solution to it. Is it possible to decentralize the government and move a big part of it outside Dhaka, may be in Joydebpur area or in Tangail? Also, is it possible to limit the population of Dhaka? Something drastic should be done to check the unruly growth of Dhaka city. Instead of a planned growth, which is healthy, the city is growing like a cancer (unchecked and uncontrolled). This might cause problem further down the road. May be the time is ripe for calling an international meeting to address this rapid urbanization problem that is causing some concern.

One more thing. While I was visiting Dhaka, I kept my traveling to a minimum for the fear of inhaling some foul air. Like me thousands of other people inside Dhaka are doing just that. Don’t blame the folks for not being on the road. Have the air pollution free, and I will travel

Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital

Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, was once home to thousands of migrants from the former Soviet republic who grew to dominate the city’s trade and business life. But Martin, in his 70s, is now the only one left. “When I die, maybe one of my three daughters will fly in from Canada to keep our presence here alive,” Martin said hopefully, speaking broken Bengali with a thick accent. “Or perhaps other Armenians will come from somewhere else.” Martin came to Dhaka in 1942 during World War II, following in the footsteps of his father who had settled in the region decades earlier. They joined an Armenian community in Bangladesh dating back to the 16th century, but now Martin worries about who will look after the large Armenian church in the city’s old quarter. “This is a blessed place and God won’t leave it unprotected and uncared for,” he said of the Church of Holy Resurrection, which was built in 1781 in the Armanitola, or Armenian district. Martin - whose full name is Mikel Housep Martirossian - looks after the church and its graveyard where 400 of his countrymen are buried, including his wife who died three years ago. When their children, all Bangladeshi passport-holders, left the country along, Martin became the sole remaining Armenian here. He now lives alone in an enormous mansion in the church grounds. “When I walk, sometimes I feel spirits moving around. These are the spirits of my ancestors. They were noble men and women, now resting in peace,” said Martin, who is stooped and frail but retains a detailed knowledge of the Armenian history in Dhaka. Marble tombstones display family names such as Sarkies, Manook and Aratoon from a time when Armenians were Dhaka’s wealthiest merchants with palatial homes who traded jute, spices, indigo and leather. Among the dead are M David Alexander, the biggest jute trader of the late 19th century, and Nicholas Peter Poghose who set up Bangladesh’s first private school in the 1830s and died in 1876. Martin, himself a former trader, said the Armenians, persecuted by Turks and Persians, were embraced in what is now Bangladesh first by the Mughals in the 16th and 17th centuries and then by the British colonial empire. Fluent in Persian - the court language of the Mughals and the first half of the British empire in India - Armenians were commonly lawyers, merchants and officials holding senior public positions. They were also devout Christians who built some of the most beautiful churches in the Indian subcontinent. “Their numbers fluctuated with the prospects in trading in Dhaka,” said Muntasir Mamun, a historian at Dhaka University. “Sometimes there were several thousand Armenians trading in the Bengal region. They were always an important community in Dhaka and dominated the country’s trading. They were the who’s who in town. They celebrated all their religious festivals with pomp and style.” The decline came gradually after the British left India and the subcontinent was partitioned in 1947 with Dhaka becoming the capital of East Pakistan and then of Bangladesh after it gained independence in 1971. These days, the Armenian Church holds only occasional services on important dates in the Orthodox Christian calendar, with a Catholic priest from a nearby seminary coming in to lead prayers at Christmas. Martin said the once-busy social scene came to a halt after the last Orthodox priest left in the late 1960s, but he is determined to ensure the church’s legacy endures. “Every Sunday was a day of festival for us. Almost every Armenian would attend the service, no matter how big he was in social position. The church was the centre of all activities,” he said. “I’ve seen bad days before, but we always bounced back. I am sure Armenians will come back here for trade and business. I will then rest in peace beside my wife.” – AFP

Thank you for kindly visitingThe Cyberspace of Mahanam Sampradayand

Thank you for kindly visitingThe Cyberspace of Mahanam Sampradayand its Ashram and Temple"Bandhu Milan Math"of Prabhu Jagadbandhusundarat Joypara, Dohar, Dist. Dhaka, Bangladesh
Dohar is located to the southwest of Dhaka city. The trip to this Ashram-Temple named “Bandhu Milan Math” may be made from “Prabhu Jagatbandhu Mahaprakash Math” on 42/2 Hatkhola Road, Dhaka or from Narayanganj “SriSri Prabhu Jagatbandhu Ashram”. From Dhaka city the trip to Dohar Ashram is about 2 hours by bus. From Narayanganj Dohar is a bit further off by land route. From Faridpur one has to cross the Padma river either through Daulatdia (Goalundo) and Aricha Ghats on the northwest or Kaorakandi and Mawa Ghats on the southeast.
The bus from Dhaka to Dohar crosses the bridge on the “Buriganga” river (which is part of the Dhaleswari river on the southern edge of Dhaka city). It is more convenient to travel to Dohar Bandhu Milan Math from Dhaka city from where the distance is the shortest and the buses are more frequently available.
Devotees of Prabhu Jagadbandhusundar are spreaded over neighborhoods of Dohar, Dhaka city, Faridpur and Narayanganj, since Dohar is located at the center of these cities. Buses for Dohar are also available from Keraniganj across from the Buriganga river by short boat or ferry trips from the southern edge of Dhaka city.
Joypara College and Joypara Branch of Mercantile Bank located at Samabay Super Market, Joypara Bazar contribute to the importance of Dohar.
The trend of development across Buriganga is different from the pace of development on the northern side of river. Because of the natural obstruction created by the river, Dhaka City's southward expansion could not take place on the same scale. Due to lack of proper and adequate communication system and natural constraints like low level of land, places like Keraniganj and Zinzira situated on the other side of the river have fallen behind in the progress for development.
The completion of the Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge over Buriganga in 1989 opened a new horizon of development of communication facilities for the areas on the southern side of the river. The bridge contributed to the opening of the Dhaka-Khulna highway and exerted considerable impact on the development of the areas adjoining the highway, such as Sreenagar, Jinzira, Nawabganj and Dohar. The potentialities of the bridge in the development of the areas served by the new highway are yet to be fully realised. With a view to reaping greater benefits from communication with the southern side of the river, construction of a second Buriganga Bridge at Baburbazar has been completed. The second bridge will establish an easy link between Dhaka city and Jinjira and Keraniganj and provide easy access to the Dhaka-Mawa road and Jinjira-Keraniganj-Dohar road.
The long-awaited second Buriganga Bridge is presently opened to traffic, easing up traffic between the capital city and southern areas.
Seen as a milestone in road communications, the bridge connected Babu Bazar in Old City with Jinjira in Keraniganj. Through link road it will also connect Keraniganj and Dohar Road on the West with Dhaka-Mawa-Khulna highway on the East.
Tk 148.61-crore Bridge, named "Muktijuddha Smriti Bridge", will ease communication hurdles between the capital and four upazilas of southern Dhaka and beyond.
The people in Keraniganj and old part of Dhaka (including Dohar) are happy as their long expectation is fulfilled with the opening of the second Buriganga Bridge.
Please click on the link below to view or print a map of Dhaka Divisonto find the location of Dohar, Faridpur and Dhaka:[Map of Dohar, Faridpur, Dhaka and their neighborhoods]

Medical Dialogue and service Project in Dohar

Medical Dialogue and service Project in Dohar
Informal activities of Japan-BangladeshCultural foundation(JBCF)is a NonprofitOrg.March 2007 by active initiative ofEmdad H.Sheikh&Dr.M.A.Rahman finally setup a health clinic in dohar DHaka Which is called Medical Dialogue & Servics Project(MDSP)was inauguration On march 3rd 2007 by Dr.Eriko Yamada,the Chaiperson of JBCF.The inauguration ceremony was graced by herExcellency,Akemi Yoshida,the first secretary of Japan Embassy in DhakaBangladesh.Among others K.MAbdul Mannan,district Judge Gazipur,Renowned POET Nirmolendu Guon,Principal padma Degree College,Dr.Jashimuddin,Advocate AKM Azizur RahmanBabul,Wahiduzzaman,AKM.SirajulIslam,Dr.Arif of Dohar UP healthcomplex,Mr.Delowar Lged.Eng.Dohar,M.Hafiz journalistUC.Chairman,A.Halim and many other local dignataries & Law enforcing agencies renderedactive service .Clinic will provide2days free treatment per week and freemedicine with 50% cost & we do medicalcamp around the country,Make your Donation & visit towww.jbcf.net
Contact Information
Email :
jbcf2006@yahoo.co.jp
Phone :
03-6427-8886 Tokyo Japan
Address :
Medical dialogue&service Project(MDSP) Office
Mukshudpur(Close to NMKG School)Dohar,Dhaka
Dohar
Dhaka
Bangladesh

Dohar is located

Dohar is located at 23°35′45″N 90°07′20″E / 23.5958°N 90.1222°E / 23.5958; 90.1222 . It has 31645 units of house hold and total area 161.49 km². One of the largest rivers of Bangladesh, Padma is situated in the Western and South-western part of Dohar. This Upazila is bordered by Nawabganj, Keraniganj, Sri Nagar and a small part by Sirajdikhan which is an Upazila of the district Munshiganj formerly known as Bikrampur.