Developers without approved design to face action: Rajuk

---

FE Report
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), the capital development authority, will take legal actions against housing developers for allegedly constructing buildings without approval, its chairman said Friday.
"Developers cannot publish or broadcast advertisement or sell apartments without obtaining layout approval from the authorities," said Nurul Huda, Rajuk chairman, during a views exchange meeting with reporters at his office.
His warning came amid allegations that many real estate companies are constructing buildings in the city without having approved layout from Rajuk and luring prospective buyers through advertisements.
Mr Huda said at first the law-breakers will be served notice. "If Rajuk notices go unheeded, we will take steps according to law."
Meanwhile, the state-owned city developer has identified 5,000 buildings breaching approved designs. But efforts to demolish the illegal structures are being hampered due to shortage of manpower, the Rajuk chief said.
"We have serious manpower shortage. Only one magistrate is conducting the whole eviction drive in the city of 570 square miles. So, we are conducting the drive gradually," he said.
Mr Huda said his organisation has also strengthened monitoring so that the approved project is done following original design. "In the past, Rajuk had only limited task of approving designs and plans. But now our authorised officers are visiting the sites twice a week to verify whether the structures are being built according to approved designs."
"We are serving notices if any structure is found to have breached designs," he told eporters.
There are five private RAJUK approved housing areas in the city which are; Bashundhara Residential Area (1st Phase) of East West Properties Development (Pvt) Ltd, Swarnali Residential Area (1st Phase) of Swadesh Properties Development and Rampura Banasri, Pallabi and Mayakanan Residential Areas of Eastern Housing Limited, he said.
These projects were approved in 1987 and except these, there is no RAJUK approved private residential areas in the city, he added.
The Rajuk chairman said they would start handing over residential plots to successful applicants after completing refund of deposited money to unsuccessful applicants of Uttara Model Town (3rd Phase) and Purbachal New Town projects.
"We hope to be able to hand over 3,000 plots of Purbachal project by April this year. Likewise, plots at Uttara 15 and 16 sectors will be handed over at the end of the year," he said.
Mr Huda, however, said no decision regarding allocation of 60 plots among journalists has yet been reached.
He also said 1 per cent of the plots has also been earmarked for Rajuk officials. "The list has been sent to the ministry for approval. Besides, 1 per cent has been set aside for ministry officials."
Rajuk has, so far, allotted about 5,674 plots in Uttara and Purbachal projects in the categories of lawmakers, defence personnel, civil servants, service-holders in autonomous bodies, foreign exchange earners, freedom fighters, artiste, sports persons, industrialists and businessmen, private job-holders, lawyers and judges.
Mr Huda said they have taken steps so that the unsuccessful applicants do not face any harassment in getting their money back.
"Some applicants are facing trouble for their own faults because of mismatch in signature or failure to attach deposit receipt with the application," he said adding that as of Thursday, Rajuk has deposited money in the designated banks against 53,850 applicants.
Mr Huda said 50,000 apartments would be constructed in the city for resolving housing problems of the low and middle-income people.
While exchanging views with the journalists at RAJUK conference room here, he said a grand plan has been undertaken for giving Dhaka a new shape and for creating the capital city a planned and modern one.
The work on this grand plan would start after getting approval from the concerned ministry and the Prime Minister, he said.