Govt plans to set up 'compact townships' with all facilities
FE Report | Friday, 15 August 2008
The government has taken initiatives to set up "compact townships" aiming to ensure proper utilisation of the country's fallow lands, a planning ministry official said Thursday.
The planning ministry at a meeting Thursday asked government ministries and agencies concerned to give information about the fallow lands which they were possessing at this moment, the official said.
Planning Secretary Jafor Ahmed Chowdhury presided over the meeting, held at the NEC conference room in the city.
Representatives from different government ministries and agencies including land, public works, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha were present at the meeting.
"We've asked different government ministries and agencies to give report to us about the status of the lands which they are possessing," Mr. Chowdhury said.
He said the government has decided to build the townships in the fallow lands where all types of facilities would be available.
Since the big cities in the country are becoming overpopulated the government wants to discourage more people to migrate to those cities further, he said.
"The compact townships will be built mainly outside the big towns or sub-towns. The proposed townships will have different facilities like gas, water and electricity supply. High-rise buildings will be encouraged there," Deputy Secretary of the land ministry SMARA Biruny said.
He said many fallow lands remain unutilised beside different big towns, which could be utilised to set up the townships.
Biruny said about 5-6 per cent of the total land are fallow lands in the country.
At present the country's total land area is 14.4 million hectares, he said.
Another official of the planning ministry said the government agencies and ministries are working to find out the fallow lands to manage those property through their best utilisation.
The lands could be used to produce foods or for other productive purposes which will boost the country's economy.
Every year Bangladesh is losing one per cent of its farm-land due to housing, urbanisation, river erosion and infrastructure development.
Net cultivable land in the country is about 8.4 million hectares, which are nearly 56 per cent of the country's total land.
The planning ministry at a meeting Thursday asked government ministries and agencies concerned to give information about the fallow lands which they were possessing at this moment, the official said.
Planning Secretary Jafor Ahmed Chowdhury presided over the meeting, held at the NEC conference room in the city.
Representatives from different government ministries and agencies including land, public works, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha were present at the meeting.
"We've asked different government ministries and agencies to give report to us about the status of the lands which they are possessing," Mr. Chowdhury said.
He said the government has decided to build the townships in the fallow lands where all types of facilities would be available.
Since the big cities in the country are becoming overpopulated the government wants to discourage more people to migrate to those cities further, he said.
"The compact townships will be built mainly outside the big towns or sub-towns. The proposed townships will have different facilities like gas, water and electricity supply. High-rise buildings will be encouraged there," Deputy Secretary of the land ministry SMARA Biruny said.
He said many fallow lands remain unutilised beside different big towns, which could be utilised to set up the townships.
Biruny said about 5-6 per cent of the total land are fallow lands in the country.
At present the country's total land area is 14.4 million hectares, he said.
Another official of the planning ministry said the government agencies and ministries are working to find out the fallow lands to manage those property through their best utilisation.
The lands could be used to produce foods or for other productive purposes which will boost the country's economy.
Every year Bangladesh is losing one per cent of its farm-land due to housing, urbanisation, river erosion and infrastructure development.
Net cultivable land in the country is about 8.4 million hectares, which are nearly 56 per cent of the country's total land.