No progress in Sahara housing project in BD

Indian conglomerate Sahara's proposed 'New Dhaka' housing project in Bangladesh has gone in hibernation as the company is yet to make any response even nearly 23 months after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this respect, top government officials said.
Officials of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works (MoHPW) and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) said they have almost forgotten about the project as no steps are seen after the MoU.
Minister for MoHPW Engr Mosharraf Hossain told the FE that he was unaware of the project. "I have no idea about the project," he said.
According to the non-binding MoU, it would come to an end if no concrete agreement is signed to implement the US$ 120-million project within 36 months effective from May 23, 2012.
The group's Bangladesh based company Sahara Matribhumi Unnayan Corporation Limited signed the MoU with the MoHPW to invest in the development of housing industry in Bangladesh. The MoU was signed by chairman of Sahara India Pariwar Saharasri Subrata Roy Sahara and former chairman of Rajuk Engr Md Nurul Huda. Former state minister of MoHPW Abdul Mannan Khan was also present at the signing ceremony held at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
According to the MoU, the government and the Sahara can work together for developing the satellite township around Dhaka with affordable housing for the low-income groups.
Sahara India said it would submit a proposal to the Bangladesh government for finalising a deal for establishing satellite towns near Dhaka city with its fast growing real estate business due to huge pressure of population.
It said it would develop the design and plan for a new city to be named Natun Dhaka or New Dhaka to provide affordable housing for the low-income group after signing an agreement with the government.
Sahara, with business experience in infrastructure and housing development, financial services, media and entertainment, commodity sales and retail chain, consumer products and manufacturing, is capable of implementing government-envisaged projects in infrastructure and housing sectors.
Around a year before the signing, Sahara placed a conceptual proposal to the government and asked for either 0.1 million (one lakh) or 0.05 million (half-a-lakh) acres of land to develop a 'New City' with affordable housing for low-income groups near the capital.
Member (planning) of Rajuk Sk Abdul Mannan told the FE that no follow up meeting was held after signing the MoU.
"We did not find any formal proposal or any other initiative from the other side to step forward the project," he said.
Sources said Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (Rehab) opposed the government steps saying that any involvement of foreign companies in Bangladesh's real estate and housing business was bound to affect the country's enormous domestic real estate and housing industry.
The Rehab officials also met government high-ups to cancel the project. Besides, the group had also asked for 0.1 million acres of land for the project, but the country does not have the requisite resources, the official said.
An e-mail was sent to the information & contact point of Sahara India Pariwar requesting information about the project last week, but no response has yet been received.