Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka during a meeting yesterday underscored the need for formulating a 100-year-long master plan to keep the capital habitable. He also suggested that a separate independent authority be formed, comprised of environmentalists and experts concerned, to save the rivers around Dhaka as they are dying. Khoka was presiding over a meeting arranged to celebrate 144 years of the DCC at Osmani Auditorium. He said if a 100-year-long master plan is not taken immediately, Dhaka will become an uninhabitable city. Khoka also underscored the need for strengthening the family planning activities in the country. "The government should do an assessment on how many people will be able to live in the country. According to that assessment, birth control activities have to be conducted and the government should do it even if it has to reduce spending on some of its development activities," he said. LGRD and Cooperatives Adviser Anwarul Iqbal speaking as the chief guest at the meeting said the DCC should take initiatives to free the parks from land grabbers. Mentioning that some private waste-management companies are doing better than the DCC at a number of wards, the adviser suggested that the DCC should allow private companies in more DCC wards to manage garbage. "The DCC has to strengthen its monitoring [of road digging] so that the utility agencies complete their work timely and the DCC can do its road repair work according to schedule," he said. Former administrator of Dhaka municipality Lt Col (retd) Hesam Uddin Ahmed said the DCC is still facing the same problems he dealt with 34 years ago including financial problems and lack of proper road network. He said it is time to think about increasing the number of roads, building underground rail network and more flyovers. Former administrator of Dhaka municipality Maj Gen (retd) Mahmudul Hasan said the number of residents in Dhaka in 1947 was only 3 lakh, now it is over 1.20 crore. City dwellers have to be aware of keeping the capital clean; it is not possible for the DCC to do it on its own, he said. Secretary of Local Government Division Sheikh Khurshid Alam and Chief Executive Officer of DCC Md Alauddin spoke at the meeting among others. A cultural programme followed the meeting where teachers and students of music schools run by the DCC took part. The DCC also brought out a colourful procession yesterday morning from Nagar Bhaban. The procession marched different city streets. The DCC mayor, councillors and officials and employees of DCC took part in the procession.