The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Dhaka, one of the world's worst mega city of over 10 million people, continues to see a chaotic growth of its skyline with multistoried shopping malls added to the old ones almost every month targeting the neo middle class.

There is hardly any locality in the city where there is no multistoried shopping complex although only a handful of people has the money to go shopping.

A good number of multistoried markets have sprung up from Malibagh to Moghbazar intersections while some others are under construction. There are also some schools and residential apartments on Eskaton Road, a busy commercial street where there should not be any apartments or educational institutions.

"Once there was only one prominent shopping complex, 'Mouchak Market', in the area. Seeing its success in attracting huge middle-class shoppers everyday, another multistoried shopping complex, 'Century Arcade', was constructed a few blocks west off Mouchak Market only to be marked by failure," said a permanent resident of Bara Moghbazar.

"Even then more multistoried shopping complexes were built from Malibagh to Moghbazar, including one on a land owned by a former President."

He went on: "Let alone Malibagh-Moghbazar area, posh Dhanmondi, Gulshan and Banani, which were developed as residential areas, have also turned out to be either commercial or semi-commercial areas, denying the residents a peaceful civic life."

Visits to a number of roads in Dhanmondi, including roads no. 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, reveal that there are nearly 20 schools, 12 hospitals and an umpteen number of commercial establishments and NGO offices in the area.

A former Rajuk official, wishing anonymity, said such multistoried buildings were being built in increasing numbers in flagrant violation of the rules and the builders often encroach upon nearby footpaths.

However, there are cases against many builders for violating the rules. Sources said several thousand such cases are pending with the High Court as the defenders went to the court seeking stay orders.

Rajuk and PWD rules require builders to set aside a 23-sqm parking space for a 200-sqm commercial building and in case of shopping complexes 23 sqm for every 100 sqm.

When contacted, University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman Prof Nazrul Islam, an urbanisation expert, said those who construct the high-rise shopping complexes do so after assessing the demand. "So, there is a demand. But the things need to be taken care of by the city authorities are: Whether the high-rise shopping mall is being constructed in any residential area; whether there is any possibility of creating traffic jam on nearby roads, and whether there is enough parking space available."

He laid emphasis on construction of low-cost high-rise buildings where there will be power-saving measures, as power supply is a major problem in the country.

Asked whether a city like Dhaka should have so many shopping complexes, Prof Nazrul Islam said the city is overpopulated. "So, decentralisation is necessary to ease the pressure on this overcrowded city."

He said steps should also be taken to increase the attractions of other faraway cities and towns of the country apart from building satellite towns nearby capital Dhaka. "The policymakers and the leaders need to come up to set examples."

About consumer culture, the former Dhaka University professor said that in a consumer society there is a trend of spending and overspending, as the businesspeople try to take away all the money the buyers have and it happens in all countries.

Prof MM Akash of Dhaka University Economics department said there is a neo middle class in the country and the business community is out there targeting them, and this is a problem of 'dependent capitalism'.

He stressed the importance of diffusion of wealth, power, investment and loans to save Dhaka. And to make that happen, the country needs to have nationalist political leaders, he said.

About poverty alleviation, Prof Akash said the government is not trying to alleviate poverty, but merely managing it with short-term measures and that is not the solution.

Meanwhile, the prospects of the country's economy are worsening more quickly than expected amid the soaring food prices and increasing lifestyle expenditure.

According to a study conducted by Consumers' Association of Bangladesh (CAB), the lifestyle expenditure of the people increased by 16.78 percent in 2007 against 13.52 percent in the previous year.