Dr Nawshad Ahmed

n many places, the dividers have fallen apart and the trees planted in the middle of dividers are dying.

Although Dhaka and Kolkata, two major South Asian cities, are just 240 kilometres apart and share a common history and culture, not many comparative studies on these cities have been undertaken so far.

Sound governance is a challenging task. People now have high expectations. Therefore, they look to elected leaders to create and sustain development of the economy, infrastructure, environment, and public utility services.

City corpora-tions and Paurashavas constitute the municipalities in Bangladesh. There are 331 municipalities comprising of 11 city corporations and 320 Paurashavas in the country.