The authorities concerned are now planning to take five more years beyond the stipulated timeframe for completing the Purbachal New Town project for a poor progress in the development works, project-insiders said.
Over two decades have gone by since the undertaking of the housing project and around 40 per cent of development activities have so far been done. The delays caused frustration and uncertainties among those allotted plots.
Officials, development experts and urban planners have, however, attributed such an inordinate delay in the project implementation to frequent changes in the design and other procedures in the interest of a vested quarter.
Rajdhani Unnayan Katripakkha (RAJUK) took up the project in 1995 to lessen the growing population and housing pressure on the capital. The project is situated on 6150 acres of land in between the river Balu and the Sitalakhya, at a distance of 16 kilometres from the zero point in Dhaka city.
Officials involved with the project, however, blamed lengthy land- acquisition process, legal complexities caused by several environmentalist groups on grounds of environmental disturbances and other hassles created by local influential individuals for the delays.
When contacted, RAJUK Project Director Md. Anwar Hossain said plots had already been handed over to the allottees in the sectors 1, 3, 4, 5, 09, 11, 13, 14 and 17.
"Finishing works are going on in full swing in sectors 20, 22, 23, 29 and 18 and we'll be able to hand over plots under those sectors by December next," he said.
When his attention was drawn over the latest deadline, which will expire next March, he said they will go for further time extension as it will not be possible to complete the tasks within the timeframe.
"We had to spend more than 10 years to acquire required land, which ended in 2009, coupled with lengthy legal procedures to deal with the environmentalists and troubles created by the local influential individuals that have eaten up a good portion of the time," he said.
During a visit to the project areas last week, infrastructure engineers were found carpeting internal roads at Sector 22 and some others were busy with installation of electric poles.
Seeking anonymity, another official engaged in the project said they would soon pray for another revision of the budget in the face of growing cost of construction materials.
Initial cost of the project was Tk 33.0 billion, which was revised in 2010 up to Tk 77.0 billion, marking a 133.3 percent increase with the inclusion of utility infrastructure.
The delays in executing infrastructure-development activities have caused a great deal of concern to the allottees who consider the plots as 'golden deer'.
A plot allottee of Purbachal New Town Project expressed his frustration to the FE, saying that RAJUK was supposed to hand over his plot by 2011.
"But they (RAJUK) did not. I think they will not be able to hand it over even within the next five years if the construction works go on at their current pace," he said.
Another plot allottee said RAJUK made a change in the affidavit that any of the family members of the applicant who has plot or flat under the RAJUK area will not be eligible for getting plot in the project.
"It has created new form of problem although I was declared eligible for plot. I don't know what happens to me," he frustratingly said.
According to the affidavit before the change, an applicant having a plot or flat inside the RAJUK will not be considered for giving plot under the project.
When contacted, Director (Estate) of RAJUK Syed Nazrul Islam said the change, which was made in 2009, in the affidavit has really put them in trouble in the form of reinitiating the procedures. It started taking away much of their valuable time.
Talking about the issue, urban planner Ar Mubasshar Hussain was very critical over the activities of RAJUK, saying that frequent changes made to the design and other procedures by the development authority on a regular basis in favour of a vested quarter led to the delays.
He alleged that the RAJUK is now eyeing the 45-kilometre lake around the project to develop more plots for highly influential individuals, which will have a negative impact on the environment.
"The concept of developing plots to lessen growing accommodation demand should be stopped immediately as allottees mostly usually sell the plots at a much higher price to others. So, it has created a new form of housing business," he said.
Initially, there were 15294 plots for the Purbachal project but the number had later been increased thrice (6000, 1743 and 1963).
Talking to the FE, former Secretary at the ministry of housing and public works (MoHPW) Suhel H Choudhury said it will not be possible for the existing RAJUK structure to complete the project if they are given 10 years more.
He said the RAJUK officials spend most of their time a day dealing with lobbyists. So, they have no time to talk about the progress and the hassles faced by the project officials.
Mr. Choudhury, who was the MoHPW secretary when the project was initiated, said the RAJUK took a number of measures like township and apartment projects to reduce growing pressure on the mega city but they failed to execute most of the schemes over the years.
"The existing RAJUK should immediately be restructured in line with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to make it more active and the policymakers ought to be very serious about cost overruns, time overruns and act without delay," he added.
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