GOVERNMENT plots have been allotted to 44 persons under special consideration including one State Minister, more than one present and past MPs, their relatives and leaders of party in power. A national daily reported on Monday that government would allocate plots to party men. Again the minister for public works Eng Mosharraf Hossain said MPs may get both plots and flats as they would like. Reports said plots were allotted recently under reserve quota from RAJUK’s Purbachal, Jhilmil and Uttara third phase projects. It seems that political consideration has got upper hand in the process of such allotments. These plots were allotted in two phases. Management Board of RAJUK allotted plots to 16 persons from three Residential Projects in November, 2015 acting on a list of persons sent from Public Works Ministry. Again plots were allotted to 28 persons in the same process in March, 2016.RAJUK has an allotment policy, 13A clause of this policy elaborate who are eligible to get plot from reserve quota. It says if any MP, justice, freedom fighter, politician, government-private sector official make important contribution for the state he or they can be considered for plot from reserve quota. But there is no mention about party men or political consideration. The national daily quoted the public works minister as saying that if he thinks they have contribution to the state they are the ones to get plots. It is his choice. Under 13A clause if government feels that they have contribution; that is all, he said. But such discretion does not fit in democracy; but how much democracy we have now where corruption and individual choice outweigh rules of law. Even elected rulers cannot claim their choice is the choice of the state but we have a different situation. Special consideration in special situation is a special way that the government now operates. There were scandals about plot allotment of RAJUK since early days. Almost all past governments made allocations of plots under special consideration. Some of those were later cancelled but ‘special habit’ of our ruling class has not changed. Land is very precious in Dhaka city and the greed of the ruling party men knows no bound. They want many plots in many names. No matter how bad security situation the party cannot waste Rajuk’s plots on special consideration. It makes government to be seen not serious to deal with terrorism. Their men must enjoy priority to advance their self interest.
