CDA takes up two housing projects

FE Team | Published: April 18, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

Pankaj Dastider
CHITTAGONG, Apr 17: The Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) has taken up two housing projects apart from constructing two other residential-cum-commercial complexes in the port city.
Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain visited the project sites on Thursday and instructed CDA chairman Abdus Salam to implement the projects as early as possible for meeting the growing demand for housing.
The minister visited Arefin Nagar, Oxygen-Kuyaish Ananya Housing area, CDA Karnaphuli Market at Agrabad Chowmuhani, CDA Pahartali Market and CDA Khulsi residential area. The CDA chairman, other board members and persons concerned were present during the visit.
The CDA is going to take up the two housing projects after seven years. Under the projects, the CDA will develop 1,700 housing plots of five and ten kathas on 330 acres of land at Arefin Nagar under Baizid police station while another housing project on 100 acres of land will be implemented near Oxygen-Kuyaish approach road exclusively for Non-Resident Bangladeshis (NRBs).
Engineer Mosharraf Hossain said the plots at Arefin Nagar will be prepared as per the design of Singapore Housing Projects. Here are some hillocks which will be protected while preparing the plots. A bypass road to be constructed beside Asian Women University will connect the Chittagong-Dhaka highway.
While visiting the Karnaphuli and Pahartali markets, the minister talked with a number of businessmen who stressed the need for quick implementation of the projects.
Regarding CDA Pahartali Market, he said the market was built on a huge area. But it is unfortunate that the BNP-led four-party alliance government sold some of its buildings and portion of lands. "We have asked the authorities to conduct a digital survey on the land," he said.
Md Yasin, a trader in Karnaphuli Market, told the minister that the CDA was dragging its feet over completing the Biponi Bitan's B Block and CDA Kazir Dewri Market Complex, causing immense sufferings to traders.
He said the traders are ready to extend financial support to the CDA if it constructs the business-cum-residential complexes on time.
The CDA chairman said plots were prepared at Khulsi long ago, but the land price has gone beyond the purchasing capacity of city dwellers. Besides, the people who have got plots at Khulsi have been cutting hills at random as most of them are influential.
"We will underscore the need for making environment-friendly plots on 330 acres of land at Arefin Nagar without cutting any hill there. There will be over 1,700 plots each of five and 10 kathas," said Mr Salam who joined the CDA as chairman in 2009.
He said the existing CDA Karnaphuli Market has currently 592 shops on 3.67 acres of land at Chowmuhani. The market will be demolished soon and a multi-storey business-cum-residential complex will be built where several hundred housing flats will be created.
No design on plots will be approved without the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) from now, Salam said, adding that the sewerage and drainage system would also be included in Ananya Housing and Kalpaloke Housing projects.
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