‘Some intellectuals’ share slum benefits with goons

Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) on Sunday completed the second phase of flat identification (ID) process for its largest apartment project at Uttara in the capital, providing flat-ID to 2,621 allottees.

With the latest development, a total of 3,454 flat holders have got the ID of the much-awaited 1,275-sft ready apartment in bloc-A of Uttara residential model town, project officials said.

Speaking as chief guest at the lottery held to randomly select such ID-holders, Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain said that his ministry was working to provide modern but affordable accommodation to all economic classes of the society.

"And this (Uttara apartment project) is a part of the government's massive housing policy that will be flat-based. The apartment-holders will get all kinds of living facilities here at a reasonable price and it's possible because of Rajuk, which is not a private entity," he said.

Sharing the government's current accommodation policy, the minister said that like the Uttara apartment project the government would also build nearly 80,000 flats for different classes at Purbachal while 14,440 flats at Jhilmil to cope with the growing demand for decent housing facilities.

"Not only these, we'll also construct a large number of high-rise small and eco-friendly flats for the people living in the city slums in a coordinated way and these apartments will be rental-based," he said.

He said the city has many slums, which are being controlled by the goons and musclemen, while some intellectuals in the society are also involved with them and shared the benefits.

"We want to replace those with providing modern and secure accommodation facilities," said the minister, with a call to participate in those projects to get hassle-free accommodation from the government.

Mentioning various facilities available there for a decent living, Rajuk chairman Md. Abdur Rahman said the allottees who paid four installments were considered for giving the ID in this second phase in block-A, where a total of 6,636 flats are being built.

Earlier, Rajuk had given flat-ID to 837 people. Of the total flats in that block, 5,603 have been awarded the apartments and the remaining ones were still available for would be applicants.

The Rajuk chairman said they would complete the gas and water connections and sewerage facilities for the ready apartments by this month while a temporary mosque has been set up for the religious people there.

At the same time, construction works of the planned multi-storied commercial complex to house superstore, banks, insurance and other commercial offices will be started this month.

"The first stoppage of the under-construction metro rail service will be in the project. We also want to link the project area with Jasimuddin Intersection in Uttara and Mirpur DOHS to ensure better connectivity. We're working on that," he added.

Hailing the construction activities, Housing and Public Works Secretary Md. Shahid Ullah Khandaker said they kept 55 per cent of the 222-acre scheme for open space, which is unique as compared to other housing projects in the capital.

According to the project profile, a consortium of the Malaysian government will build 8,400 more apartments in block-B and block-C of the project under G2G (government to government) arrangement.

The flats are to be built following the model of Industrialised Building System (IBS), which will have many environment-friendly facilities, like - solar system, storm water harvesting and Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP).

Lawmakers and members of parliamentary standing committee on housing and public works AKM Fazlul Haque and Noor-E-Hasna Lily Chowdhury also spoke at the function, moderated by Deputy Project Director and Rajuk Superintending Engineer Md. Muzaffar Uddin.

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