Tk 4.24b scheme planned to build highrises in rural areas

Talha Bin Habib | Published: August 18, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

The government has taken an initiative to build multistoried buildings for housing in rural areas of all the divisions at a cost of Tk 4.24 billion aiming to keep arable lands from being destroyed, a high official said.Â Â
The buildings would be built under the project of 'Palli Janapad' with all necessary facilities mainly in the areas where buildings are being built indiscriminately on arable land. Â
Â "We will build multistoried buildings for rural people with priority to expatriate Bangladeshis at seven places in Rajshahi, Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Rangpur divisions," Additional Secretary of Rural Development and Cooperatives Division under the ministry of LGRD and Co-operatives AHM Abdullah told the FE.Â Â
The construction work on the buildings would be implemented by the Rural Development Academy (RDA) of Bogra with the supervision of Rural Development and Cooperatives Division under the ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD and Co-operatives).
The construction work on the pilot project will start at the 'upazila growth centres of all the divisions soon and it will be completed in 2017, the official said.Â Â
About the criteria for final selection of places for implementing the project, the official said at first the government will carry out a base line survey in the areas where the flow of remittance is high compared with other areas and people of the area have the capacities to pay 30 per cent advance as construction cost of the buildings and with an opportunity to acquire required lands for the purposes.
The project site/ areas/ places will finally be selected as per the decision of the steering committee after proper scrutiny of data being collected through the base line survey.
The main aim of the project is to ensure food security, save arable land as well as developing living standard of rural people, setting up of bio-gas plant as an alternative source of fuel energy and solar panel, recycling of rain water, and training of income generating courses for the beneficiaries and use of compost fertiliser. Â
The buildings will be of four storied each. There must be proper ventilation system for doors and windows of the each flat with separately built toilet, bath and basin of each floor. There will be play ground for children and walkway for aged people and vacant space on the campus of the buildings for rearing livestock as a means of livelihood. Â
Bangladesh is a small country having population of around 160 million. Most people depend on agriculture for livelihood. The agriculture land is shrinking one per cent annually due mainly to housing and non- agriculture purposes. Â
The government should urgently enact law for protecting the precious agricultural lands for food security and public benefit, according to analysts.