Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha chairman engineer Md Riazul Islam on Monday said work of identifying illegal parts of 3,382 under construction buildings in Dhaka that deviated from the design has began.
The RAJUK chairman said these at a dialogue titled 鈥楧haka, a City of Problems: Which Way to Solve?鈥� organised by the Urban Development Journalists Forum-Bangladesh at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) auditorium.
He said construction of illegal buildings will be stopped and partial demolition of the buildings will be carried out in phases.
In the first phase, utility service connections will be disconnected, criminal cases will be filed, designs will be canceled and, if necessary, the buildings will be sealed.
He said, 鈥榃e have identified 3,382 under construction buildings in the Rajuk area that have violated the rules. We will demolish any part of these buildings that violate the rules.
I will continue this work as long as I am in office. Whether they are demolished or otherwise, we will bring them within the rules. We are regularly operating mobile courts.鈥�
Pointing out the importance of establishing a city government or a system to bring Dhaka under one umbrella, the RAJUK Chairman said, 鈥業f Dhaka is not brought under one umbrella, no matter how many plans are made, it will not be useful. All decisions must come from one place.'
He said there is no problem whether there is a city government or a mayor has power. Decisions regarding all utility services including water, electricity, gas, services in the city must be taken from one place.
The RAJUK chairman said, 鈥榃e will take care of those who have already built houses at the moment. It is not possible to do all the work at once. However, we are ensuring that there will be no loss in the under-construction buildings. We have no plans to allocate new plots. We will recover the encroached plots and provide housing for the lower and middle class people.鈥�
The event was moderated by senior member of the organisation, Khaled Saifullah, and presided over by the organisation鈥檚 president, Matin Abdullah.
The cover of the organisation鈥檚 publication, 鈥楧hakai鈥� magazine, was unveiled at the event. At the same time, the cover of the book 鈥楧haka鈥檚 Canals on Their Dying Breath, An In-Depth Look at How the capital鈥檚 Waterways Are Being Choked鈥� published by the organisation鈥檚 advisor, Helimul Alam Biplob, was unveiled.
Speaking as a special guest at the event, former BIP President Mohammad Fazle Reza Sumon said, 鈥榃e have created problems while trying to make Dhaka more important. Bureaucratic complications are responsible for the current state of Dhaka city. The Dhaka Development Authority (DAP) plan has envisaged making Dhaka livable for 23.5 million people. In this regard, zone-based planning has been mentioned. If good governance and accountability can be ensured, it is possible to restore Dhaka鈥檚 livability.鈥�
Professor Ahmed Kamruzzaman, chairman of the Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS), said, 鈥楧haka city is supposed to be covered in nature, illusion, and management. But Dhaka is now covered in air pollution, noise pollution, water pollution, and glass pollution鈥�.
鈥楬ow long will we have to face the questions of our children about the problems of this unplanned city? Half of the people in the city cannot sleep due to the polluted smoke from the landfills of Aminbazar and Matuail,鈥� he added.
The CAPS chairman said, 鈥�80% of the noise pollution is caused by vehicles. Dhaka city has now become a city of heat. It is impossible to plan for 25 million people in this city. If we cannot solve the problems, then the index will not be able to rise from the bottom.鈥�
Presenting the main article, Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) General Secretary and planner Sheikh Muhammad Mehedi Ahsan said, 鈥極ne-fifth of the country鈥檚 GDP comes from Dhaka.
One of the challenges of Dhaka is overcrowding, traffic jams, pollution, water logging, etc.
One of the reasons for this is the occupation of open spaces in Dhaka, the occupation of canals, and the construction of buildings in an irregular manner鈥�.
RAJUK鈥檚 former chief engineer Md Nurul Islam, former chief rngineer of Dhaka South City Corporation Md Nurullah, architect Sujaul Islam Khan, among others, also spoke at the event.
