City govt essential for planned development of Ctg: Administrator

Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) Administrator Dr Shahadat Hossain has said establishing a city government is essential to transform Chattogram into a planned, clean, green, healthy, safe and smart city.

He said a lack of coordination among government agencies responsible for urban development and public services was delaying the implementation of promising projects. Bringing all service-providing organisations under an integrated administrative framework is necessary to address the problem, he added.

He made the remarks at a seminar titled ‘Chattogram: Economic Gateway and Lifeline of Bangladesh’, organised by the Bangladesh chapter of the Commonwealth Journalists Association at the World Trade Centre in Chattogram on Friday.

The seminar was chaired by the organisation’s president, Parvin F Chowdhury. Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Amirul Haque presented the keynote paper. CDA engineer Belayet Hossain and other relevant stakeholders also took part in the discussion.

Shahadat said Chattogram was a major centre of Bangladesh’s economy, with the country’s principal seaport, industries, trade, tourism and international connectivity centred around the city. However, a lack of coordination among service agencies and lengthy administrative procedures for project approval and implementation were preventing the city from fully realising its potential.

He said organisations including the CCC, Chattogram Development Authority (CDA), Chattogram WASA, Water Development Board, district administration and police administration needed to work under a coordinated framework.

Their respective legal responsibilities could remain intact while ensuring integrated planning, decision-making and accountability, he said, adding that an effective system similar to a city government was needed.

The administrator said roads, drainage, land management and traffic control were handled by different agencies, making it difficult to develop a modern city through fragmented planning.

On waterlogging, he said the CDA and city corporation were implementing projects to address one of Chattogram’s major urban problems. Work was underway on canal excavation, drain renovation and improvements to the drainage system.

However, he said a lasting solution would require coordinated management of canals, drains, water bodies and natural water channels, alongside regular maintenance and a clear division of responsibilities.

Highlighting the city’s economic prospects, Shahadat said sectors such as tourism, commercial industries, leather and semiconductor technology should receive greater attention alongside the ready-made garment industry, agriculture and human resources.

Chattogram’s geographical position, seaport and transport links offered significant opportunities to attract investment in these sectors, he said. However, infrastructure gaps, insufficient policy support and delays in administrative decisions were holding back their potential.

He also outlined plans to develop an environmentally friendly city and solar power projects on the other side of the Karnaphuli River. He said he had been working for nearly one and a half years to promote solar-powered industries and an eco-friendly urban area there.

Under the ‘One City, Two Town’ concept, planned development could be combined with solar power generation, he said, adding that a city government would make decision-making on such initiatives more coordinated and effective.

Stressing the need to establish Chattogram as the country’s commercial capital in practice, Shahadat said merely declaring the city a commercial capital would not be enough. Banking, insurance, international trade-related organisations and key economic services also needed to expand their operations there.

He said Chattogram could not achieve its full commercial significance while most financial and administrative decisions remained centred in the capital.

Referring to initiatives taken during the tenure of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, he said plans had been undertaken to develop Chattogram as a commercial capital, including the establishment of infrastructure such as the World Trade Centre. Although important discussions and decisions took place around 2004, the plans had not been implemented at the expected pace.

Shahadat said he had also raised the need for long-term urban planning and a city government with the prime minister. Roads, transport, waterlogging, the environment, industrialisation and investment needed to be addressed through an integrated plan, he added.

Speakers at the seminar also stressed the need to improve fast and efficient transport links between major cities to unlock Chattogram’s economic potential. They called for modern transport infrastructure to reduce travel time between Dhaka and Chattogram to around two hours, as well as the expansion of key financial and service institutions beyond the capital.

They said strengthening infrastructure, speeding up goods transportation, creating an investment-friendly environment and ensuring effective coordination among government agencies were essential to increasing Chattogram’s contribution to the national economy.

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