Some realtors grabbing land of graveyards

FE Report Speakers at a seminar in the city Sunday said a section of realtors are grabbing the land of graveyards and building real estate projects there while the sector is in risk due to cheating by some of them. They said it is tough to maintain the standard of the real estate sector as the realtors are mushrooming in the country. They were speaking at the seminar titled 'Real Estate: Safe Investment' at the REHAB (Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh) Fair being held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. The speakers also said the realtors should take care of the environment; otherwise, the environment will not take care of us. Momtaj Uddin Patowary, dean of the National University, read out the key-note paper while Prof Abdullah presided over the seminar. REHAB member Rabiul Haque moderated the seminar. Shahjahan Miah, former secretary general of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), said, "A section of known realtors are building projects by grabbing land of graveyards. Such people are hampering the investment in the real estate sector." "A lot of non-resident Bangladeshis are interested to invest in the real estate sector but they are afraid of being cheated by the realtors while investing here." He urged REHAB officials to control such members with a view to stopping deception of general people. Otherwise, the sector will be in big trouble, he said. Abu Bakar Siddique, former chairman of National Housing Authority, said, "The realtors should avoid running projects in the food producing zones identified by the ministry of land to secure food safety of the country. It will also help to ensure risk-free investment in the real estate sector." Freedom fighter Md Abdul Momin, former director of Water Development Board said, "The Dhaka, Narayanganj and Demra project was under an agriculture scheme but now it is totally a residential area. This unplanned establishment creates water-logging in that area now." "The Detailed Area Plans (DAPs) of Dhaka, Cox's Bazar and Kuakata are under process," he said urging the REHAB members to follow the DAP so that the people may be able to invest in the sector safely. Saiful Alam, executive editor of the Jugantar, and Prof Akhter Hossain Chowdhury of the Khulna University also spoke at the seminar.