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Street garages back in Dar with a vengeance
2007-12-22 08:19:54
By Editor
It would take the most cynical of hardened pessimists to deny that Abbas Kandoro assumed office as Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner with a bang and has continued to register a fair degree of success in his endeavours to make our country`s commercial capital progressively more habitable.
Obviously, the RC has not been waging a single-warrior battle because he could not have made any headway doing that - and he knows it.
Rather, he has been leading an entire region in efforts aimed at helping cosmopolitan Dar es Salaam become a modern-day city.
It is clear that a substantial proportion of the little progress made may have remained a mirage had the central government not chipped in with funding and other support that has seen roads rehabilitated, schools, hospitals and dispensaries renovated, drainage systems improved, and relatively reliable water and power supply guaranteed.
Kandoro and his regional government colleagues will readily attest to this fact.
But they will also admit that city is still plagued with too many problems for comfort.
Now, the experts are seldom unanimous on the qualities of the ideal city the kind of which every country keen about sustainable urban planning and development would seek to put in place. But there are aspects on which most usually agree.
Dreams by technologically advanced nations of transforming their urban centres into megacities of contemporary and innovative architecture may be realisable.
The aim would be to implement projects such as business and residential complexes, ultramodern cultural and education centres, new sports venues and facilities, underground garages, and hi-tech bus and railway stations.
The plan would be to have navigable cities with most basic necessities easily accessible to the people.
Here, sustainable development would be the main drive for urban development.
Kandoro would be very happy were such the direction the development of Dar es Salaam took.
He has seen the city struggle to resolve its environmental mess, upgrade its traffic infrastructure, and make basic social and other services more available.
He has fought running battles with irate small traders ordered off the city`s street pavements for relocation at spots they were opposed to.
He has championed the crusade for contributions to the region`s secondary school classroom construction development fund.
The city authorities have enough experience to know how best to deal with people finding pleasure in breaking the law and needlessly incommoding other people.
The city authorities should not to tolerate people or institution obstructing lawful efforts to keep the city safe, navigable, sparkling clean and in generally fine environmental shape.
Until recently, remarkable progress had been made in relocating awkwardly placed street garages that have invaded a number of city streets and residential areas, where they are a real nuisance.
But these funny automobile repair shops are back - and with a vengeance.
Anyone who has been to Ilala Shariff Shamba lately knows what we are talking about.
The government and the city`s residents should join Kandoro & Co. in this well-meaning struggle that stands to benefit all of us.
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