Role of community participation in developing community facilities at Kamrangirchar of Dhaka city

Abstract

Al\er the emergence of independent Bangladesh in 1971, Dhaka City has started to expand both in the area and population at an alarming rate due to rural urban migration of the people. This expansion of urban population has created not only new demand for facilities but also an unbearable pressure on the existing urban community facilities. Dhaka City Corporation bears the responsibility of providing community facilities 10 these fast growing urban mass of the capitaL ilut it has become dillicull for the Dhaka City Corporation to cope ""1lh the rising demand with its limited budget and its present planning process. In this situation, community participation can playa dominant role to develop commumty facilities. Because community participation indicates an active role for the community, leading to signilicanl control ovcr decisions. In this connection, the residents of Kamrangir Char area organized a committee namcd .'Kamrangir Char Unnayan (development) Committee." Here the committee is working for their most basic facilities like school, college, local shopping, play ground, parks, primary health center, roads, place of worship etc. through community participation. Thi, rt'seareh has presented the existing C()ndition of different community facilities on thc basis of the peoples' level of satisfaction and revealed thc effects, problems and limllations of community participation practice in the development process. Unplanned participation practice and limited resources are the main constraints for the development of Kmnrangir Char through community participation. So, the most essential needs in K.amrangir Char for community participation practice are identified, whieh \vill help to increase resources and utilize these properly. Finally, the study suggested a commLlnity participation proce~s through a corrununity-based organization that will be helpful for illVoiving people effectively for the development of eommumly facilities in the absence of required governmental resources,