Call for better services and jobs outside capital

Speakers at two programmes in Dhaka on Friday called for decentralisation and stronger support for poor rural workers. They said better services and jobs outside the capital could reduce pressure on Dhaka and improve people’s lives.

Former Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince said education, healthcare, government offices and jobs should be decentralised to reduce the growing population pressure on Dhaka.

Speaking at a seminar at the National Press Club, he said several cities with facilities similar to Dhaka should be developed. Many people come to Dhaka for education and healthcare, while rural poverty, river erosion and lack of jobs also push people towards the capital, he said.