Saving DAP from greedy developers

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Dhaka, the city of over 13 million people turn into a flooded one in almost all of its parts even after a short period of heavy rains. It acquires the appearance of a city flood as water fails to drain off for days from the choked conditions of the city. Thus, the Detail Area Plan (DAP) for the city proposed that at least 21 per cent of the city's present and projected areas must be reserved as water bodies where no real estate development activities would be permitted.
But this meritorious proposal has triggered the wrath of the developers who in their meeting with the relevant Minister recently over the issue, did not observe even the minimum of decency and courtesy while criticizing the Minister and others for their useful suggestion in the DAP. They made it transparent in the meeting that they would be prepared to go to any lengths of misconduct, piling of pressure and other tactics to have the DAP changed in their favour.
Therefore, the responsibility becomes greater for the Minister and the government to be even more firm in their commitment to DAP. DAP has been drawn up in the interest of a planned Dhaka, to save it from collapse due to all kinds of unregulated activities specially from real estate developers. The best interests of 13 million residents of the city cannot be allowed to be sacrificed at the altar of a limited number of too greedy developers.

Shantana Rahman
Mirerbag,
Dhaka