The Bangladesh Institute of Planners on Saturday called for enactment of a law on urban, regional and rural development and formulation of a national urban development policy for balanced development and fair urbanisation across the country.
The national professional organisation of the planners made the call at a press conference held at its office at Banglamotor in the capital on Saturday.聽
Institute general secretary Shaikh Muhammad Mehedi Ahsan, who read a written statement, said that it is crucial to develop urban, regional and rural policies for all areas of the country and working on development programmes following the mentioned policies.
He said that policies, planning, and development programs should be inclusive and urged for the abandonment of the currently practiced special project-based development system.
Instead, he advocated for adopting spatial planning for development projects that prioritized said requirements and transparency.
The organization also called for a complete reform of the traffic system and for promoting widespread access to public transportation that would be utilized by public organizations and policymakers.
Presiding over the event, BIP president Adil Mohammed Khan called for pro-people development based on good governance.
He further said that development projects should be approached in a way that minimizes investments while maximizing the number of beneficiaries.
Speakers also emphasized the importance of improving law-and-order situation in the country and creating a balance of power among the department of justice, the parliament, and executive departments.
They also called for reforms in constitutional and statutory bodies, including the department of justice, the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Election Commission, and the National Human Rights Commission, while minimising bureaucratic influence.
