The project was designed for the 13th Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (Saarc), which was scheduled for this month but deferred for the recent tsunami that devastated two Saarc member countries -- Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

"We have been deprived of development for long, and now it is clear that Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) treats us as stepchildren," said an aggrieved Sukur Salek, president of Dhakabashi, an organisation of the Old Dhaka residents.

"We appreciate the city planners for the massive beautification programme but we believe the old town should also be beautified," he said.

DCC has already decorated roads, medians, pavements, road islands and roundabouts in an integrated plan for beautification. A total of 66 private and government organisations are engaged in the project but none was assigned to beautify any part of the Old Dhaka.

"The DCC could have asked the old town-based private organisations to take part in the programme as it happened in the other parts of the city," Shukur said.

Dhaka is distinctly divided into two parts so far as development is concerned. The narrow lanes and by-lanes in the old town are the witnesses of negligence. The overpopulated and congested part of the capital is deprived of all sorts of development.

Most streetlights in the area are not switched on in the evening. The narrow roads in in Kotwali, Sutrapur, Bangshal, Lalbag, Hazaribagh and Shahidnagar areas have remained uncared for.

Most of the manholes are left uncovered leaving the pedestrians in danger. Garbage is disposed regularly at intersections. "Due to lack of streetlights, roads are not safe at all. Mugging takes place here almost every day," said a Swarighat resident.

However, City Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka who heads the beautification committee said he is aware of the development of the Old Dhaka. Many development programmes have been undertaken for this part of the city, he claimed.

The mayor denied the allegation of depriving the old town saying: "The ongoing beautification programme is for the guests from South Asian countries. We are trying to beautify some specific areas, where they will visit. It does not mean we are neglecting the old town."

Khoka mentioned a number of environmental improvement programmes in the old city's Dholaikhal, Lalbagh, Kamrangirchar, Sayedabad, Matuail and Jatrabari areas. It covers construction of roads, drains, footpaths, sanitary latrines and land filling.