Central business district to be built at Kamrangirchar: Taposh

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) plans to build a world-class modern central business district in Dhaka's Kamrangirchar to meet the current contextual demand and future needs to help achieve the "Vision 2041".

"We will build a central business district (CBD) at Kamrangirchar in the capital," DSCC Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh told BSS in an interview at his office.

The commercial hub will have to be transformed into a complete business city as a 50-storey business skyscraper, world-class conference centre and a hotel will be established there, he said.

A draft of the plan titled "Prospects of CBD Development: An overview of Kamrangirchar (Dhaka)" was recently placed at the DSCC. The economic aspect of Dhaka has been taken into consideration to prepare the draft plan.

As per the economic review (according to population census report of 2011), Dhaka metropolitan area has a population of 14.17 million comprising 33.78 per cent of the total urban population.

Dhaka city accounts for only 8.7 per cent of the total population while its contribution to GDP is about 35 per cent (8th Five Year plan).

To implement the plan, Taposh said they will have to reclaim the ancient Buriganga from illegal encroachment.

"We will evict the illegal encroachers from the riverside and re-excavate the Buriganga as per the desire of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and revive its ancient look. Illegal encroachers will be removed, no matter how powerful they might be," he added.

The mayor said water will flow along two sides of Keraniganj, once the old Buringanga is revived and thus an aesthetic atmosphere will be created in the area.

Taposh said that once the CBD is implemented it would help achieve the "Vision 2041" turning Bangladesh into an upper-middle-class country by 2031 and a developed nation by 2041.

He said it would be the next business hub of Dhaka and an example of aesthetic and modern architecture.

The area will symbolise smart growth and will be livable with economic stability, he continued.

As per the draft plan, a high-rise convention centre, condominiums, high-end office building, auditoriums, seminar heritage museum, rooftop cafes or restaurants, art gallery, green walkways, cycle lane and stand, water taxi jetty, water garden, old Dhaka museum, drama theatre and amphitheatre will be established.

The proposed plan considered the geographical location, environmental aspect, advantage of various natural resources of the Kamrangirchar area surrounded by the river basin and its very close proximity to existing financial centres as its strength.

Likewise, the draft plan touted Kamrangirchar as an opportunity to construct the CBD as the area houses comparatively low-rise structures and has potential connectivity with mass transit stations.

The draft plan has taken into consideration illegal encroachment of riverbank side, average height (is 5.5 metres) of the land of Kamrangirchar area which is under maximum flood flow level as lower groundwater absorption is considered as the weaknesses of the CBD.

According to the draft plan, the comparatively high expense for construction, narrow existing road, the existence of a few high rise buildings and informal sector, and necessity of resettlement program are appeared as threats of the CBD.