The Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh demanded reforming the illegal Detailed Area Plan 2022-2035 (DAP) and the finalisation of the Dhaka Imarat Nirman Bidhimala 2008 within the next 15 days.
The country鈥檚 real estate sector leaders also said that they will wage a strong movement with all stakeholders if their demands are not implemented within this period.
They spoke at a press conference on Wednesday at the CIRDAP auditorium in the capital.
Md Wahiduzzaman, president of the REHAB, said that landowners in Dhaka and other major cities have been enraged since the discriminatory and flawed DAP was formed.
鈥極n behalf of REHAB, we have continuously held numerous meetings with government authorities regarding DAP. The authorities concerned repeatedly assured us they would revise the DAP in the country鈥檚 interest by prioritising reality.鈥�
However, even after a long time, he added that nothing had been done.
Responding to a journalist鈥檚 question, he said that landowners aren鈥檛 encouraged to construct buildings under the DAP. This is illegal as it doesn鈥檛 address equal opportunities for all citizens.
鈥榁ested interests, lobbyist, and planners passed the DAP during peak time of Covid-19 without any public hearing. Whereas, the experts of this sector and the government issued the rules in 2008 after much scrutiny. There were provisions for the conservation of canals, water bodies and widening of roads,鈥� he added.
However, it is regrettable that due to the new DAP, 80 per cent of Dhaka city will remain unplanned. The city will turn into a death trap where landowners are being discouraged from building due to the reduction in the FAR,鈥� he added.
Rehab leaders also said that the new DAP had decreased the building area and height, resulting in expansion of houses into agricultural land.
鈥業n the new DAP, the Bangladesh Water Act has been violated, the obligation of having 20-feet wide road has been lifted, commercial use in residential areas and residential use in commercial areas, has been allowed,鈥� he added.
So, creating a pure residential area under the DAP is impossible.
Responding to another question, Abdul Latif, vice-president of the REHAB, said that a plan like DAP is impossible to implement in a populous country like Bangladesh.
鈥業f we limit the height of the building, the Dhaka city will spread to its nearby regions and it will further destroy the arable land. In the next ten years, the country will face severe food shortage,鈥� he added.
Md Wahiduzzaman said that the DAP was finalised before gazetting its predecessor, the 鈥楧haka Structure Plan,鈥� which conflicts with the basic criteria of planning.
He also said that some unscrupulous officials ignored the beautiful and timely Dhaka Metropolitan Building Construction Rules-2008, unjustly revoked the Master Plan-2010, and removed the FAR part of the 2008 rules.
