Reza Mahmud :
Growing numbers of unapproved building in Dhaka are threat to the city residents.
Experts said that most of the buildings are at risk of destruction in any moderate type of earthquake even.
Experts and RAJUK officials said, there are four reasons behind growing of unapproved establishments in the city.
Those are shortage of manpower in RAJUK, dishonesty, longitudinal official process and unconsciousness of the landowners. “Housing and Public Works Minister SM Rezaul Karim recently
disclosed it in the Parliament that 67 percent of buildings in the capital city were constructed without approved plans and designs. Reliable institutions had found that more than 55 percent of buildings are vulnerable to earthquake. In this situation, nobody in the city is safe in this moment,” Urban Planner Architect Iqbal Habib told The New Nation on Sunday. He said, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) conducted a survey in old Dhaka, Hazaribagh and Mohammadpur areas in the capital in 2007.
It found that more than 55 percent of buildings in those areas may crash in any major earthquake.
If a earthquake of 6.5 or 7 Richter Scale takes place, most of those buildings will be destroyed.
As a result, there will be unimaginable casualties.
Architect Iqbal Habib said, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) are yet to take any measure in this regard.
He said two or three storied unapproved buildings are not risky, but if those are five or more storied danger lies there. Experts said, RAJUK failed to monitor and stop the construction of unapproved buildings due to lack of adequate manpower. They said, the government is using RAJUK as a business body by selling plots and flats and that is why they failed to supervise constructions and development work of the city’s lands.
“The government has not given sufficient manpower to the RAJUK to do their duties to monitor and take measures against construction of unapproved establishments properly,” Iqbal Habib said.
RAJUK officials also said similarly.
On the other hand, the officials said, the organization failed to control the unapproved constructions due to delayed by the red-tape.
“Firstly our Zonal Officials identify unapproved buildings. Then they need to get permission form higher authorities to take legal actions. After getting permission they have to send first notice, second notice and final notice to remove those establishments and then we take measures to destroy those. It takes huge times,” Tanjila Khanam, Deputy Secretary and Director of Development Control, RAJUK told The New Nation. When contacted, Md. Sayeed Noor Alam, Secretary and Member of Development Control, RAJUK told The New Nation, “The RAJUK is taking actions as per the rules. Our Zones have been directed to take legal actions against unapproved establishments.”
According to a survey of RAJUK, there are 1,31,583 unapproved buildings out of the city’s 1,95,376 buildings. The survey also has shown that there are 3,342 buildings under constructions without approval out of 8,730.
In these circumstances, the city residents become vulnerable. They are now living in face of hazardous risks. The experts said most of the unapproved buildings might fall, if even any moderate type of earthquake strike.
As a result numbers of casualties might surprise the capital.
The experts suggests to the government to make the RAJUK active, capable and reliable in monitoring the development work and to take stern actions.
Growing numbers of unapproved building in Dhaka are threat to the city residents.
Experts said that most of the buildings are at risk of destruction in any moderate type of earthquake even.
Experts and RAJUK officials said, there are four reasons behind growing of unapproved establishments in the city.
Those are shortage of manpower in RAJUK, dishonesty, longitudinal official process and unconsciousness of the landowners. “Housing and Public Works Minister SM Rezaul Karim recently
disclosed it in the Parliament that 67 percent of buildings in the capital city were constructed without approved plans and designs. Reliable institutions had found that more than 55 percent of buildings are vulnerable to earthquake. In this situation, nobody in the city is safe in this moment,” Urban Planner Architect Iqbal Habib told The New Nation on Sunday. He said, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) conducted a survey in old Dhaka, Hazaribagh and Mohammadpur areas in the capital in 2007.
It found that more than 55 percent of buildings in those areas may crash in any major earthquake.
If a earthquake of 6.5 or 7 Richter Scale takes place, most of those buildings will be destroyed.
As a result, there will be unimaginable casualties.
Architect Iqbal Habib said, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) are yet to take any measure in this regard.
He said two or three storied unapproved buildings are not risky, but if those are five or more storied danger lies there. Experts said, RAJUK failed to monitor and stop the construction of unapproved buildings due to lack of adequate manpower. They said, the government is using RAJUK as a business body by selling plots and flats and that is why they failed to supervise constructions and development work of the city’s lands.
“The government has not given sufficient manpower to the RAJUK to do their duties to monitor and take measures against construction of unapproved establishments properly,” Iqbal Habib said.
RAJUK officials also said similarly.
On the other hand, the officials said, the organization failed to control the unapproved constructions due to delayed by the red-tape.
“Firstly our Zonal Officials identify unapproved buildings. Then they need to get permission form higher authorities to take legal actions. After getting permission they have to send first notice, second notice and final notice to remove those establishments and then we take measures to destroy those. It takes huge times,” Tanjila Khanam, Deputy Secretary and Director of Development Control, RAJUK told The New Nation. When contacted, Md. Sayeed Noor Alam, Secretary and Member of Development Control, RAJUK told The New Nation, “The RAJUK is taking actions as per the rules. Our Zones have been directed to take legal actions against unapproved establishments.”
According to a survey of RAJUK, there are 1,31,583 unapproved buildings out of the city’s 1,95,376 buildings. The survey also has shown that there are 3,342 buildings under constructions without approval out of 8,730.
In these circumstances, the city residents become vulnerable. They are now living in face of hazardous risks. The experts said most of the unapproved buildings might fall, if even any moderate type of earthquake strike.
As a result numbers of casualties might surprise the capital.
The experts suggests to the government to make the RAJUK active, capable and reliable in monitoring the development work and to take stern actions.
