Rethinking of Tejgaon Area

Literature Review
 General Information
Dhaka  

 Division

Dhaka Division
 
 District
Dhaka District
 
 Establishment
1608 CE
 
 Granted city status
1947
 
 Area
National Capital and Metropolitan Area
360 km2 (140 sq. ml)
 
 Elevation
4m (13.12ft)
 
 Population (2020)
21,005,860
 
 National Capital and Metro polytan Area
 
 Density (2020)
23,234 people per square kilometer
 
 Literacy Rate
74.6%
 

Dhaka Division Dhaka District Dhaka Metro Area Dhaka Urban Area
Dhaka

History and Background

The word Dhaka is said to refer to the Dhak tree (Butea frondosa), once
common in the area; or to Dhak, a huge membranophone instrument
from South Asia which was beaten by order of Subahdar Islam Khan I
while inaugurating the capital in 1610;[14]. The name Dhaka originates
from Dhakeshwari (“The Hidden Goddess”), she is the 800 years old deity
of the Divine Mother, whose shrine is located in the southwestern part of
the city.[15]Some references also say that it was derived from a Prakrit
dialect called Dhaka Bhasa; or Dhakka, used in the Rajtarangini for a
watch-station; or it is the same as Davaka, mentioned in the Allahabad
pillar inscription of Samudragupta as an eastern frontier kingdom.

The city has historical buildings and settlements from different periods in
history. They can be found in different places in the city, especially in the
old parts. Starting from the Buddhist and Hindu kingdom to the British
rule.

There was existence of Buddhist settlement in Dhaka, dating back to the

7th century by the Kamarupa and Pala Empire until it passed to the
control by the Hindu Sena Dynasty in the 9th century. It is said that the
name of the city is derived form the Goddess of Dhakeswari’s temple by
Billal Sena of the Sena dynasty in the 12th century. It has many market
centers, bazaars that still exist, such as the Lakshmi ba- zaar, shankhari
bazaar, Tanti Bazaar, Patuatuli, Kumartuli ,Bania Nagar and Goal Nagar.
After the Hindu dynasty the Sultanate of Bengal ruled Dhaka and there
were also governors from the Delhi Sultanate.

In 1576,a vast part of Bengal came under the rule of the Mughal Empire.
During that time Dhaka was the military base. Due to the development of
townships and housing the town was experiencing sig- nificant growth in
population and the town was named the capital of Bengal under the
Mughal rule in 1608.
Dhaka

History and Background

Many mosques and forts and universities were built and Muslims were being
excused from paying taxes. As a result Muslims from surrounding areas were
coming in and the town slowly was transforming into a city. During this time
Dhaka was more a city than a town or a fort and according to Mughal
documents recorded under Subahdar Islam Khan, the first administrator of
the city, he named it “Jahangir Nagar” (city of Jahangir) in honor of emperor
Jahangir.

This name was later changed after the death of emperor Jahangir. The city
went under major expansion under the rule of general Shaista Khan on orders
from emperor Aurangzeb during the 17th century. During that time Dhaka city
was 19 by 13 kilometers, with a population of about one million people and
over a 100 universities and hundreds of mosques. The Mughal rule again
weakened after the death of emperor Aurangzeb and hands switched again
about the control of Bengal. During this period of the Mughal rule, Islam
became the dominant religion in the city and surrounding region.

During the British rule in the Indian sub-continent The British East Indi
Company in 1765 gained rights to collect revenue and later took over
governing during 1793. During that time the Nawabs of Bengal had to give up
all their authority forcefully and Bengal, Bihar and Odisha passed under total
British control. During this period the city’s population decreased a lot as
Calcutta was slowly gaining prominence, modernization and development. In
1874 modern civic water supply line was put up in Dhaka and in1878 electricity
supply was given. Dhaka cantonment area was developed near the city and
this served as the base station for the British and Bengali soldiers. After that
the partition of Bengal happened in 1905, and Dhaka became the capital of the
new East Bengal and Assam although the whole of Bengal was reunited in
1911. During partition of India in 1947, Dhaka was declared capital of East
Pakistan. A large number of Hindus moved to the newly separated India
(Hindustan) and the city thus became a large region with many Muslims.

Dhaka in the following years saw a large number of political strikes due to
Urdu being made as the sole official language of Pakistan and the then East
Pakistan(future Bangladesh). The Bengali Language Movement started in the
1950s and went on through 1960s due to demands from the Bengali population
to have Bengali as the official and national language. In 1970 the region saw
the Bhola cyclone which devasted most of the region, killing approximately
500,000 people. Half of the city was flooded and poor cyclone relief was being
given b y the central government and people’s anger regarding ethnic
discrimination was increasing.
Dhaka

History and Background

On 7th March 1971 Bengali Politician Sheikh Mujibur Rahman held a

nationalist gathering at Ramna Racecourse with about one million
people attending it and on 26th march he declared Bangladesh as an
independent country. This , thus followed the 9 month long war
between Bangladesh and Pakistan and finally on 16th December the
Pakistani Army surrendered and Bangladesh gained its independence.
Dhaka was announced the nation’s capital. Dhaka over the years has
seen a lot of change and developments , and as a city it has different
cultural touches in its urban fabric and buildings. §one can find
Armenian churches, British period office buildings , residences, temples,
mosques, great Nawabi mansions.
Dhaka

Chronological Development of The City

Dhaka city is home to nearly 15 million people and one of the most rapidly
growing cities of the world. The current population of the country is about
160 million and the area of the country is 146,000 square kilometers. Dhaka
at the moment ranks as the 9th largest city in terms of population and is
predicted to be the 3rd largest by the year 2020 if the current growth
continues. Although it is slowly climbing the ladder of mega cities of the
world but in respect of living conditions it is slowly sliding down. This is due
to prolonged neglect towards planning aspects as it grows.

Dhaka city has always been a center of culture, art, history and
opportunities. People over time have always migrated to the city in search of
opportunities like many other capitals cities of the world. Dhaka city even
now is the main hub of jobs, economy, business, industries, commerce,
culture, media, education and jobs in all different kinds of sectors – a hub of
jobs even for people form the rural areas. People still flock to the city and try
to settle everyday in search of work and opportunity although many times
the opportunity is a myth.

Dhaka city was once a world center of the production and export of various
fabrics-cotton and muslin in the 17th century and then jute in the 18th and
19th century and now Dhaka is once again a city of weavers and spinners
using modern machines and techniques. It is the center of economy of the
garment and textile industry.

Although low-income people from different rural areas of the country and
people from other cities of the country are migrating Dhaka city has not
really grown in a planned way. Services of housing and other facilities do
exist but they are not happening in a planned way. It can be said that Dhaka
city is going through “wild urbanization” as Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, professor of
architecture at University of Hawaii at Manoa has put in his book “Designing
Dhaka: A Manifesto For a Better City”. Despite poor governance and planning
it continues to grow and thrive as a major metropolis due its economic
viability. Dhaka city is changing no matter what, and the its transformation
at a bigger scale is engineered by land owners, developers, financiers,
policy-makers and policy – breakers and at a micro level by the migrants,
builders of impromptu dwellings, petit vendors and small-time entrepreneurs
 Dhaka

Chronological Development of The City

Over a period of twenty years the population of the city and real estate
economy both have boomed- Dhaka has become a gold mine of real estate
economy. This is visible, as acres of wetland and agricultural land have
disappeared to give way to an enormous number of buildings.

1600 1750 1850 1950 1980 1990 2002

2050 - Projected Growth of Dhaka

Metro Area
Industrial area establishment basics
Location of industry

Industrial location plays an important role in shaping the pattern of economic

development of an area. It also influences the trend and regional
development of the area. Industrial location largely depends on factors like
transport, labor, agglomeration and market (Loesch, 1954). But, the above
variables are not always support equitable spatial distribution of industry in
an area.

Every industry owner tries to gain maximum efficiency in both production

and distribution of goods and services. So to reduce the production cost and
increase their monetary benefit, industrialists tends to locate industries
where adequate infrastructural facilities are available. It causes
concentration of industries to a particular location and eventually deprives
the less developed area (Huda, 1993).

Locational requirement for an industrial area

A large number of factors contribute to the choice of industrial location to a

particular area. In Bangladesh, most of the industries are situated at the
places where labor and raw materials are available.

Factors for locational requirement of an industrial area can easily be divided

into two sections: Physical factors and socio-economic (human) factors.
Physical factors mainly include accessibility to market and raw materials,
characteristics of the land, condition of infrastructure facilities etc. Socio-
economic factors include availability of labor, capital, transportations and
communications, government policies etc. (Khan, 1996).

Physical factors

Area with easy access to the market places shows high potential for
industrial development. Markets places can be local, regional and
international. Some areas are lack of accessibility due to geographical
location or lack in transport facilities. So, area with better market
accessibility is a better place for an industrial development.

For an industrial location, access to the raw materials is also very important.
That is why most of the heavy industries are located close to the area where
large amounts of raw materials are available.

The site of an industry needs to be accessible to enhance easy import of raw

materials and export of finished products. Industries in the earlier period
used water routes for transporting raw materials. Nowadays, better
accessibility to major transportation routes is a prerequisite of industrial
development in an area.
The topological feature of an area is very important for the establishment
of an industry. A flat and fallow land with good accessibility has a foremost
importance for the location of an industry. As a result most industry tries
to find vast areas to expand their production.

Socio-economic factors

A company cannot set up its desired industries without investment of

money. So, capital is very important for setting up of an industry. The
investment may come from private sources or from the government.
Mainly, area within the incentive policy of the government attracts different
types of large industry.

Probably, the most important factor for establishment of new industries

nowadays is better communication facility. Better communications links are
needed not only with the adjacent areas but also with the core areas of a
country. Area with easily accessible transport routes such as the
motorways, railways and ports can easily attract industry.

Governments can greatly influence the location of industries, by imposing

tax incentives, inexpensive rent and other forms of facilities to companies
located in certain areas of the country. In 1968, RAJUK (formerly known as
DIT) approved a plan to build Tejgaon area as a light industrial area which
changes the whole development trend of the area.

Labor availability is very important for old, labor-intensive industries. This

is why many of them located in the inner locations of the cities, so that
there was a huge pool of potential workers living close to these locations.

Land use pattern of an area

“Land in its natural and urban states in both an input to, and a product
of, the planning process. It represents potential opportunity for social and
economic mobility, urban change and growth pattern of an area (Edward
et al, 1995, pp. 196-197).

” There are four perspectives that must be recognized to create land use
information for an area as land as functional space, land as a setting for
activity systems, land as a commodity to be developed and land as
esthetic resource. Land use characteristics, Structures, Space uses are
important to identify the land as functional space. Location, area of the
plot, ownership pattern is major characteristics of land. Building type,
ground coverage, number of stories and floor area are for identifying the
structural characteristics of the plot and existing use, number of units per
floor etc. are indicators of space use (Edward et al, 1995).
Land use analysis is a means of identifying broadly how land is used.
Each type of use has its own characteristic that can be determined by
compatibility, location and preference to other land uses. The first step in
the land use analysis is to conduct an inventory of existing uses. In case
of preparation of land use inventory for town of Cloverland, the land use
inventory classified land uses into twenty five categories. The major
categories include the structural development on the plot, space use,
location and proximity with the other land use etc. (Foth and Dyke,
2000).

Numerous factors can impact land use, including economic activity,

population growth and redistribution, transportation facilities and the
presence of natural resources. In determining the existing land use
pattern of Mercer County, all of these factors are considered influential.
Almost fifty percent of the total land area is classified as agricultural,
with an additional thirty seven percent in the forest category. Less than
ten percent of the county is classified as either high- or low-density
urban areas. Land uses within these areas include residential,
commercial, industrial, and public and semi-public uses (City planning
authority of Mercer County, 2006).

Policies regarding industrial development in

Bangladesh

After the liberation war, government of Bangladesh established some

major corporations and ministries working for dispersing the industrial
development all over the country. But instead of dispersing the
industries, policies and programs taken by the governmental
organizations leads to concentrate in or around the Dhaka, Chittagong
and Khulna districts (Huda, 1993).

In the first five year plan, incentives had been given to attract industries
in less developed areas. In second five year plan the whole country was
divided into developed and less developed zone and in 3rd there are
three categories i.e. developed, less developed and least developed
area. The segments help to allow government to take informed decision
for incentive distribution (Khan et al, 2005).

Major steps have been taken by the government to developed more

industry oriented plans and policies came into light after the formulation
of “National industrial policy 2010”. The major concern of this policy is to
provide incentives for the private sector interested in small and cottage
industries. In this process government acted as a facilitator and
encouraged private- public partnership in order to build a vibrant and
dynamic private sector. The policy helps to disperse some industries in
less developed area.
Location of Industries in Dhaka
Tejgaon Industrial Area
Tejgaon Industrial Area

Location

Tejgaon Industrial Area Thana (Dhaka Metropolitan) is bounded by Gulshan

Thana on the north, Ramna Thana on the south, Gulshan, Rampura and
Ramna Thana’s on the east, Tejgaon and Cantonment on the west.

Historically, the area has been a center of industrial activity in the city.
Numerous plants and factories are in Tejgaon, in such diverse industries as
garments, food processing, metal works, pharmaceuticals, etc. Tejgaon
became the major attraction for the immense industrial activity to meet the
ever increasing demand of growing population and found its location in the
core of the city from the peripheral location.

Project Name: Redevelopment of Tejgaon Area

Location: Tejgaon, Dhaka
Site Area: 4.5 km2 ( 500 acre approximately)
Client: Ministry Of Planning
Finance: BANGLADESH GOVERNMENT

Tejgaon Industrial Area

 Why an industrial area grew in

“THE HEART OF THE CITY” ?

Development of Tejgaon Industrial Area
As we all know from the basic rules of designing an urban area, the
industrial area must be situated far away from the main city. As,
factories/industries contains toxic materials, liquids, air etc.
I began to research to find out an simple answer, “why an industrial area
grew in the heart of the city?” As a result, I produced these maps
considering the Tejgaon Industrial area in relation to the growth of the
Dhaka City.

Pre Mughal 17th Century (The City

( 16th was developed from East
century) to West. Dhaka attracted
by European
Traders)They established
their

1950 (Tejgaon
Industrial area
came under East
Pakistan govt.
Scheme after
British East India
Company Left the
country. The city
started to develop
by the govt in
different parts.
18th Century (Shrinking of Exp Gulshan,
Dhaka after British East Banani,)
India Company took over
the country)
1980 (Dhaka Started to develop 1990
towards Further in the North)

2002
2014 (Tejgaon became in the
middle of the city)
From the above analysis, it is clear, Tejgaon in the Mughal period started far
away from the city. After British ruler took over the country, they started to
develop the city towards North direction. It also influenced the East Pakistan
government (1950) to develop the city more towards North by selecting
different part of the land to develop mostly middle-income housing. It is
noticeable that in selecting 1980 (Dhaka Started to develop towards Further in
the North) 2014 (Tejgaon became in the middle of the city) Future projection of
the City All together these sites the method of picking the highlands along the
transportation system was followed.

Development of Tejgaon Industrial Area

Developed by 1950
the PWD

Proposed as an industrial
1959
District in Master plan of
Dacca

DIT planned this area

as a light industrial area 1968

1971 Gone through a massive

unplanned development

According to DMDP,
1995
non industrial land uses
(commercial, office
etc.) have increased
2005 Commercial use has
been increased
whereas industrial use
had been decreased
Gov. has decided to
2014 gradually
turn the area into a
commercial cum
residential district
2030
???
Historical Background

Evaluation of the Tejgaon as an industrial area

The development of Tejgaon as an industrial area includes a number of phases in different

period. These are discussed under the following headings:

Tejgaon before 1950 In Mughal period, the present Tejgaon area was totally a forest land. Then
in colonial period, the Portuguese people who came to Dhaka and established some ‘vacation
House’ in Begun Bari near Tejgaon area.

For further development they demolish the forest land and left the area as a fallow land. After
then in 1948, the Public Works Department (PWD) started developing the area as an industrial
area adjacent to the Dhaka city (Khan et al, 2005).

Fig: Land use of Dhaka in

Mughal period

Fig : Land use of Dhaka city in 1962

(Source: Khan et al, 2005)
Historical Background

Evaluation of the Tejgaon as an industrial area

Fig : Land use of Dhaka city in 1975 Fig : Land use of Dhaka city in 1995
(Source: Khan et al, 2005) (Source: Khan et al, 2005)