Speakers at a roundtable yesterday stressed the need for more coordination among different stakeholders for the implementation of urban planning in the capital and elsewhere of the country.

They said absence of the authority of a single organisation and lack of coordination among stakeholders are the key reasons behind unplanned urbanisation. The roundtable on “Urban-Planning and Implementation” was organised by Bangla daily Prothom Alo in association with BSRM and the Bangladesh Institute of Planners at the newspaper's office in the capital.

Prof Nazrul Islam, chairman of the Centre for Urban Studies, said leadership is a key issue in implementing urban planning, which has to be in one certain hand as the leadership can be an individual or a council.

Hossain Zillur Rahman, executive chairman of Power and Participation Research Centre and a former caretaker government adviser, said urban planning should reflect integration of both rich and poor.

Mubasshar Hussain, architect and former president of Institute of Architects Bangladesh, said physically challenged people should be kept in mind while planning urban areas.

Annisul Huq, DNCC mayor, said, as per law, Rajuk will hand over different establishment such as playgrounds, parks and lakes to city corporations after building those.

Abdul Qayyum, associate editor of Prothom Alo, moderated the roundtable, where Prof Sarwar Jahan of Buet, and architect Iqbal Habib also spoke.