No money spent to develop roads in Dhaka South’s new wards despite allocation

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has not utilised any of the Tk50 crore allocated in the last fiscal year for infrastructure development of main roads in its 18 new wards.

Though the wards were created in 2016 by merging eight unions with Dhaka South City, no significant development has yet been seen in the areas.

However, the DSCC said no work for road infrastructure could be initiated as assessments were still ongoing. 

At a press conference in Nagar Bhaban yesterday, DSCC Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh announced a budget of Tk6,760.74 crore for the fiscal year 2024-25. He also presented the revised budget for the fiscal year 2023-24, which amounted to Tk2,541.86 crore.

He also announced a five year long initiative to get rid of unemployment in Dhaka.

Responding to questions regarding the non-utilisation of allocated funds for the 18 wards, Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said work on the main roads in the new areas could not begin due to ongoing assessments. 

The city corporation plans to have five feet of sidewalks on both sides of the roads and a minimum of 20 feet of roadway, he further said, adding that regular maintenance work was ongoing in the areas.

In the budget for 2024-25, Tk117 crore has been allocated for the main road infrastructure development of the 18 new wards. 

Moreover, in the new budget, allocation for waste management has been reduced despite having much room for improvement. Last fiscal year, Tk30.02 crore was allocated in this sector, but the new fiscal year sees a reduced allocation of Tk25.02 crore.

Regarding the reduced budget for waste management, DSCC said that funds have been redirected to projects involving the cleaning of canals, which should not disrupt regular waste management activities.

An analysis of last fiscal year's budget shows that DSCC only managed to spend 37.65% of its allocated budget. 

Out of the Tk6,751.56 crore allocation, only Tk2,541.86 crore was utilised. For development expenditures from government and foreign aid, Tk4,458.82 crore was allocated, but only Tk716.33 crore was spent, just 16% of the allocation.

On this, Taposh said, "Our capacity and revenue have increased. However, government allocations for projects dependent on government and foreign aid vary; some years the government allocates less, and in some years more. Excluding this sector, our budget remains balanced."

In the new 2024-25 fiscal year budget, significant expenditure areas include operational costs of Tk553.60 crore and development expenditure from DSCC's own funds amounting to Tk1,005.31 crore.

Moreover, the budget for mosquito control has increased by Tk1.5 crore in FY25. Last fiscal year, Tk38.5 crore was allocated for this sector; however, Tk38.83 crore was spent.

Mayor Taposh said, "Over the past four years, we have acquired 535 new fogging machines, 600 handheld devices, and 29 wheelbarrow machines. To combat the spread of dengue, we held discussions with relevant stakeholders in May to plan our annual activities, assign responsibilities, and provide necessary guidelines."

The FY25 budget also includes Tk100 crore for addressing water logging issues in the DSCC area, a significant increase from the Tk 40.42 crore spent last fiscal year. 

However, the budget for the construction and renovation of dustbins and Secondary Transfer Stations (STS) has been halved, with only Tk 8 crore allocated, whereas Tk9.21 crore was the sector's expenditure last year.

Taposh emphasised the initiative to construct at least one public toilet in every ward to benefit working people, especially women. 

"Over the past four years, 36 public toilets have been constructed or renovated, with seven new ones built in wards 3, 8, 12, 18, 19, 32, and 58," he added.

DSCC to take responsibility for employment of Dhaka residents

With the goal of creating employment opportunities for all families in Dhaka, Mayor Taposh announced a five-year "Mayor Sheikh Taposh's Employment Program - Dhaka Will Be Unemployment-free City" initiative. 

The programme aims to benefit permanent residents, voters, and holding taxpayers of Dhaka South and their family members.

"We will accept applications online, and priority will be given to those who regularly pay taxes to DSCC and their family members, whether it's for capital, shop allocations, or job placements, Taposh said.

Under this five-year plan, DSCC will implement the program from 2024 to 2029. 

The DSCC mayor further said, "Entrepreneurs will receive interest-free loans of up to Tk2 lakh without collateral to start their businesses. Additionally, DSCC will assist in securing bank loans ranging from Tk2 lakh to Tk20 lakh without collateral."