Hasan Mahmud urges realtors to reach out to rural people

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FE Report Minister for Environment and Forest Dr. Hasan Mahmud urged realtors to go to upazilas and villages with multistoried housing plan for the rural people, which can prevent excessive use of arable land. The minister said every year one per cent arable land is being lost for industrialisation, urbanisation and various infrastructural developments. "So, we've to minimise this loss and realtors can play a significant role in this regard as they have been doing it for the last two and a half decades," he said while speaking at a concluding ceremony of the five-day REHAB Fair 2011 Tuesday. Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh, the trade group, organised the fair on December 15-19. The housing association started the fair in 2001. Some 281 real estate companies and two financial institutions -- LankaBangla Finance and Delta Brac Housing - took part in the fair. The minister said real estate developers have been playing a very important role for the last two and half decades by providing housing to the people, which was supposed to be the job of the state. "Now, they need to reach out to 73 per cent of people who live in rural areas." Dr. Mahmud said since realtors are playing an important role, they have to be more responsible too. "You shouldn't do anything that harms people and environment," he told REHAB members. He also urged them to follow building code and rules and regulations introduced by the government. The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry President AK Azad urged realtors to open an arbitration cell to resolve complaints raised by customers or anyone who suffers. He said, "We often receive complaints about the malpractices of some realtors who are allegedly deceiving customers." He said many people have come to us with complaints that developers occupied their land forcibly. "We don't want to see this anymore," the FBCCI chief said. He said, "If any unscrupulous housing businessman is involved in such malpractice he should be expelled from the REHAB and business community will also take action against him on behalf of FBCCI." He also sought to calm agitated realtors by referring to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's assurance of giving electricity connections for ready-to-handover apartments in phases. Nasrul Hamid MP, president of REHAB, said his association will consider the proposal of FBCCI president to open an arbitration cell.