Comitted to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 4 Num 92 Wed. August 27, 2003  
   
Metropolitan


Car parking facility a must for high-rise buildings: PM
Foundation for Sadharan Bima Commercial Bhaban laid


Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday asked the authorities concerned to ensure that high-rise buildings to be built in the city in future must have car parking facility.

She was addressing the foundation laying ceremony of 20-storied Commercial Bhaban of Sadharan Bima Corporation here. The building will have a provision for car parking on its first five floors.

The prime minister also called for making arrangement for more space for car parking on urgent basis at specific places in busy commercial areas to ease traffic jam.

She urged the private entrepreneurs to construct commercial car parks in different cities including Dhaka.

Sadharan Bima Corporation, a government-owned institution, will construct the building on its land with its own fund at Dilkusha in front of its headquarters.

This is the first step of the government to construct 500 to 600 car parks with government funds in the capital, aiming to ease traffic congestion.

The building-cum-car park is likely to be constructed applying modern technology and using steel structures instead of traditional RCC filing to complete the project quickly.

The construction of five-storied car park will be completed within six months and the remaining part of the building by one year more if modern technology is applied, the function was told.

The Dhaka City Corporation will construct another car park on the BJMC land close to this one at Motijheel.

Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka and Adviser to the commerce ministry Barkatulla Bulu also spoke.

Ministers, MPs, high government officials and officers and employees of Sadharan Bima Corporation attended the function.

The prime minister said the government is implementing some of its plans in phases to put an end to the suffering of the people caused by traffic jam.

As part of the plan, Sadharan Bima Corporation is constructing the commercial building along with car park and the Dhaka City Corporation will construct another car park here, she said.

Haphazard car parking is one of the major reasons for traffic jam in the city, she added.

The big cities, particularly the capital city, are the face of a country, she said, adding that foreigners first have a look at the capital city while visiting the country.

Foreigners try to realise the country's overall situation by observing civic facilities first. So the capital city should be made beautiful, neat and clean and well-organised to enhance the image of the country, Khaleda observed.

For this reason, everything in the capital city should be done in a planned way and if necessary, different institutions and establishments may be relocated in specific areas, she told the function.

The prime minister asked the officials and employees of Sadharan Bima Corporation to increase their efficiency and improve the standard of service to survive in the open market economy.

Picture
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia laid the foundation for 20-storied Commercial Bhaban of Sadharan Bima Corporation at Motijheel yesterday. Photo: PID