Dhaka

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(Redirected from Dacca)

Template:Expand Image:Dhaka-panorama.jpg Dhaka (previously Dacca; Bangla: ঢাকা Đhaka), population 12,560,000^[1] (2005 UN projection for statistical metropolitan area), is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative centre of Dhaka District. The city is situated on the Buriganga River, at Template:Coor dms (23.7, 90.375). The origin of the name of Dhaka is shrouded in mystery. Some believe that it is derived from the Dhakeshwari Temple, which was originally built around 12th century by a Sena King. Others believe that the name is derived from the Dhak (drum), which was beaten during the inauguration of the capital by the Mughal Subahdar Islam Khan. Dhaka was also known as Jahangir Nagar for some time during the Mughal period in honor of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir.

In 1947, Dhaka became the administrative capital and largest city of East Pakistan. Its population expanded considerably owing to the development of industries, and an influx of migrants from India and settlers from West Pakistan. The city saw great political unrest, strikes and agitation during the Language Movement, and under martial law from 1969 to 1971, it was the scene of the Pakistani Civil War, in which an estimated millions of Bengali civilians were killed by the East Pakistani Army. With the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Indian forces entered the city and its liberation marked the beginning of the independence of Bangladesh. The city has also seen civil and political violence, strikes and unrest throughout its history as the capital of Bangladesh.

Dhaka is undergoing an expansion into a modern metropolis, and it is the political, cultural, commercial and industrial heart of the country - many national and international financial institutions, modern industries and businesses are based there. The city's population enjoys a comparatively high literacy and health rate, even though large segments of the population live in slums, mired in poverty. Pollution and overpopulation are rising problems even as tall, modern buildings, shopping centres and planned housing settlements take their place in the city's skyline.

1 History
2 Civic administration
3 Landmarks
4 Demographics
5 Economy
6 Transport
7 Major universities and colleges
8 References

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History

Dhaka is known to be in existence since the 7th century A.D. It grew as an urban center, when it became the provincial capital of Mughal Bengal in 1608. The city passed to British rule in 1765. It became the capital of East Pakistan in 1947. In 1971, the city became capital of the newly independent country Bangladesh. It was formerly known under the spelling Dacca.

Modern Dhaka has vastly outgrown the so-called Old Dhaka. Statistically, its population has grown to around 13 million during recent decades, due to a population shift from rural areas. Old Dhaka with its important port and various historical sites can still be found at the southern end of the sprawling and disorganised modern city. Though some parts of the city is still not well-developed, places like Gulshan, Banani, Motijheel etc. are shaping up into a modern city.

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Civic administration

Dhaka City Corporation is a self-governing corporation that is associated with the task of running the affairs of the city. The incorporated area is divided into several wards. Each ward has an elected ward commissioner. The mayor of the city is elected by popular vote every five years. The city is divided into ten parliamentary constituencies. Whichever party has won the parliamentary elections have also tended to win the majority of the seats inside the capital. Ramna contains the Secretariat, which houses most of the government ministries, the residences of senior Government officials, and is also the seat of the Supreme Court.

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Landmarks

Image:Bayt al Mukarram.jpg Landmarks and tourist attractions in the city include:

the Dhakeshwari ("Goddess of Dhaka") temple, from which the city probably derives its name
the Bara Katra palace
Hoseni Dalan
the Lal Bagh Fort-Moghul Fort built by Shaista Khan , uncle of Emperor Aurangzeb
Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban (the National Assembly building), designed by the architect Louis Kahn
Ahsan Manzil - The "Pink Palace"; now a museum, the building is poorly maintained.
Baitul Mukarram - The national mosque.
Bangabandhu stadium - The national stadium.

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Demographics

Bangladesh's largest city is the image of Bengali culture and diversity. There are many descendants of the millions who migrated from India in 1947, including a small community of Bihari Muslims. The vast majority of the people are Muslims, but there are significant Hindu, Christian and Buddhist communities. Bengali is the most widely-spoken language, while English and Urdu are understood and spoken by some demographics.

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Economy

Image:Dhaka-bangla-port.jpg Dhaka is also the commercial heart of Bangladesh, its gateway to the world. Dhaka's energy and communications infrastructure is the most modern available in the country, and it accounts for much of Bangladesh's net GDP growth. Most of Bangladesh's skilled workers and college graduates are employed in businesses and industries based in and around the Dhaka metropolitan area. Motijheel is the major business district, containing the headquarters of most of the country's banks and corporate houses, as well as that of the central Bangladesh Bank. The Dhaka Stock Exchange is the country's largest market. Most of foreign trade and investment is conducted with companies based here. Dhaka has also led the country's rise in the global IT industry, with a massive expansion in wireless communications, and the proliferation of electronics across the population.

Since 1996, the Bangladeshi government has steadily moved away from socialism and adopted free-market reforms. Dhaka has been the recipient of the boom in foreign investment, service industries and information technology. Dhaka gives the lead to economic growth to the rest of the country. However, poverty, lack of basic services, illiteracy and poor sanitation are still serious problems for the city, as they are for the rest of Bangladesh. Torrential rains and floods cause terrible damage to the city's infrastructure and economy, and most seriously to the population, reducing any benefits of previous improvements and growths.

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Transport

The main mode of transportation in Dhaka city is non-motorized cycle rickshaws. Almost 320,000 rickshaws are run in the Dhaka city every day, of these, 70,000 of them are officially registered <ref name="palo">Report, Daily Prothom Alo</ref>. Rickshaws have been blamed for causing traffic congestion, and have been banned from some major city roads despite their low cost and low pollution levels. The next important means of transport are public buses. Although the state-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) operates some local and long distance buses there are many (often unregulated) private bus operators such as Salsabeel, Anabeel, Pink, Metrolink, Anik and many other transport companies who provide local bus services as well as premium non-stop bus services between the downtown and the suburbs. Although cheap, these buses are often very crowded.

Before 2002, Dhaka was plagued with pollution from two-stroke 3-wheeler taxis or scooters (locally called Baby Taxi, each carrying about 3 passengers) and human haulers (locally called Tempo, each carried about 10 people). More than 50,000 smoke-emitting taxis polluted the air with carbon-monoxide, lead, and other hazardous compounds. A Government-ban on two-stroke vehicles in 2002 helped clear the air. Since then, the two-stroke taxis have been replaced by four-stroke Green taxis which run on Compressed Natural gas or CNG. A low number of CNG refilling stations created a problem initially, but Government subsidies and allocation of land for such stations have encouraged the establishment of a sufficient number of CNG stations. The Zia International Airport is Bangladesh's main airport, and the bearer of a large traffic and trade across South Asia, Central Asia, Europe and North America.

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