The Rajuk continues to take projects on flood flow zones and crop lands in gross violation of the detailed area plan it had adopted for the capital.
Town planners blamed Rajuk for making the DAP virtually useless.
They said that Rajuk had been finding it impossible to make others follow the DAP.
Rajuk chairman M Bazlul Karim Chaudhury, however, said that projects were taken on areas earmarked in the DAP for conservation only after keeping provisions of lakes and open spaces in all the housing projects.
Rajuk completed feasibility studies for developing a 201-acre residential cum commercial area close to Uttarkhan on the Balu River bank.
A review of DAP shows that the project has been designed to swallow flood flow zone as well as fertile crop lands in seven mouzas of Dhaka district.
The project would contain residential apartment blocks and commercial buildings including hotels and motels with parking lots, lakes, as well as areas to resettle evicted families, said Rajuk officials.
They said that the project would be connected with the Purbachal New Town by the 300 feet wide link road as well as the Eastern Bypass Road between Demra and Tongi.
Similarly, a new 2,290-acre project taken by Rajuk at Kerniaganj for providing residential plots mainly to MPs would also swallow areas designated for conservation in the DAP.
Jheelmil, Purbachal and Uttara 3rd Phase residential projects, now under implementation by Rajuk already swallowed flood flow zones and crop lands by taking them out of conservation areas as earmarked in the DAP.
Urban planner Al Ameen, who took part in preparing the existing DAP, said that by flouting DAP Rajuk encouraged others to do the same.
Bangladesh Institute of Planners general secretary Md Akter Mahmud told New Age that following Rajuk’s footsteps most of the real estate companies were
developing housing facilities on areas earmarked in the DAP for conservation.
These violations, he said, already defeated the very purpose of adopting the DAP for developing the capital as a planned city.
In June 2010, the DAP was adopted under the Master Plan for the capital prepared in 1995.
The DAP incorporated all the recommendations made by a six-member expert review committee headed by Professor Jamilur Reza Choudhury.
The expert committee recommended scrapping of 17 housing and other development projects of the government and the real estate companies had taken encroaching upon flood flow zones.
The recommendations require scrapping of the government’s Jheelmil Housing Projects extension, Pangaon Container Terminal, BSCIC Industrial Park at Sonakanda, Keraniganj, Dhaka North City Corporation’s waste dump at Baliarpur, Savar, and the Dhaka Central Jail at Keraniganj.
The recommendations also require scrapping of Bashundhara Riverview Housing Project at Keraniganj, Modhumoti Model Town, Swadesh Housing Project, Probashi Polli Housing Project at Gazipur, Eastern Mayakanon, Advanced Angel City, Ashulia Model Town, Dhaka Udyan, New Uttara Model Town, BDDL Natundhara, Neptune housing project, Swarnali housing project, Shotabdi housing project, Adarsha Shikkhok Abashik project in Uttarkawndiya and Prottasha housing project in Tongi municipality area,.
Sarwar Jahan, BUET’s urban and regional planning professor and review committee member, said that the recommendations aimed at preservation of the conservation areas in and around the capital were totally ignored by Rajuk.
Sarwar, also former BIP president, said allowing housing and other development projects on the conservation areas would be the cause of man-made disaster for the capital.
The DAP seeks to develop the capital into a 1,528-square km planned city.
Town planners blamed Rajuk for making the DAP virtually useless.
They said that Rajuk had been finding it impossible to make others follow the DAP.
Rajuk chairman M Bazlul Karim Chaudhury, however, said that projects were taken on areas earmarked in the DAP for conservation only after keeping provisions of lakes and open spaces in all the housing projects.
Rajuk completed feasibility studies for developing a 201-acre residential cum commercial area close to Uttarkhan on the Balu River bank.
A review of DAP shows that the project has been designed to swallow flood flow zone as well as fertile crop lands in seven mouzas of Dhaka district.
The project would contain residential apartment blocks and commercial buildings including hotels and motels with parking lots, lakes, as well as areas to resettle evicted families, said Rajuk officials.
They said that the project would be connected with the Purbachal New Town by the 300 feet wide link road as well as the Eastern Bypass Road between Demra and Tongi.
Similarly, a new 2,290-acre project taken by Rajuk at Kerniaganj for providing residential plots mainly to MPs would also swallow areas designated for conservation in the DAP.
Jheelmil, Purbachal and Uttara 3rd Phase residential projects, now under implementation by Rajuk already swallowed flood flow zones and crop lands by taking them out of conservation areas as earmarked in the DAP.
Urban planner Al Ameen, who took part in preparing the existing DAP, said that by flouting DAP Rajuk encouraged others to do the same.
Bangladesh Institute of Planners general secretary Md Akter Mahmud told New Age that following Rajuk’s footsteps most of the real estate companies were
developing housing facilities on areas earmarked in the DAP for conservation.
These violations, he said, already defeated the very purpose of adopting the DAP for developing the capital as a planned city.
In June 2010, the DAP was adopted under the Master Plan for the capital prepared in 1995.
The DAP incorporated all the recommendations made by a six-member expert review committee headed by Professor Jamilur Reza Choudhury.
The expert committee recommended scrapping of 17 housing and other development projects of the government and the real estate companies had taken encroaching upon flood flow zones.
The recommendations require scrapping of the government’s Jheelmil Housing Projects extension, Pangaon Container Terminal, BSCIC Industrial Park at Sonakanda, Keraniganj, Dhaka North City Corporation’s waste dump at Baliarpur, Savar, and the Dhaka Central Jail at Keraniganj.
The recommendations also require scrapping of Bashundhara Riverview Housing Project at Keraniganj, Modhumoti Model Town, Swadesh Housing Project, Probashi Polli Housing Project at Gazipur, Eastern Mayakanon, Advanced Angel City, Ashulia Model Town, Dhaka Udyan, New Uttara Model Town, BDDL Natundhara, Neptune housing project, Swarnali housing project, Shotabdi housing project, Adarsha Shikkhok Abashik project in Uttarkawndiya and Prottasha housing project in Tongi municipality area,.
Sarwar Jahan, BUET’s urban and regional planning professor and review committee member, said that the recommendations aimed at preservation of the conservation areas in and around the capital were totally ignored by Rajuk.
Sarwar, also former BIP president, said allowing housing and other development projects on the conservation areas would be the cause of man-made disaster for the capital.
The DAP seeks to develop the capital into a 1,528-square km planned city.
Source: New Age
