bdnews24.com :
Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif has been allotted a 5-Katha (1.65 decimals) land in Gulshan, the capital’s most expensive real estate area in Dhaka.
Rajdhani Unnyan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) allotted plot number 3 on 32/A, Gulshan residential area, to the Kushtia-3 MP on Dec 15 last year at a minimum price.
A letter from RAJUK said former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif has been allotted the land at Tk 5 million per Katha under Section 13/A of the land allotment policy.
That law allows for state-owned land to be provided to ministers and MPs.
But Hanif was neither MP nor a minister at the time of allotment. bdnews24.com has a copy of this letter.
According to the letter, Hanif applied for the land on May 18, 2010 and it was allotted to him vide a memo of the housing ministry on Nov 7, 2013.
That was after a decision on the allotment was taken at the RAJUK’s 11th general meeting that year.
The allotment letter issued from RAJUK Estate Division 1 identifies Hanif as Awami League joint general secretary.
Hanif received several calls from bdnews24.com but refused to comment on the issue.
“You have something to say? Then come meet me face to face. Why on the phone?”
RAJUK Chairman GM Jainal Abedin Bhuiyan told bdnews24.com: “There’s a privilege quota for allotting government land. Maybe he was given the plot under that quota.”
The government can make such allotments to freedom fighters, families of martyrs, ministers, MPs and people who are considered to have made important contributions to the nation, he said.
When told that Hanif was not a minister or an MP at the time of allotment, the chairman said he would have to check the files before making a comment.
On Sunday the RAJUK chairman could not be reached for comment. His office said he was attending a meeting at the ministry.
RAJUK Estate Division 1 Deputy Director Abdul Wadud at first refused to share any information.
Our correspondent then contacted his superior, the director of the division Mohammad Musa, who called Wadud and asked him to give information.
In the interview that followed, Deputy Director Wadud said, “The government that is in power can give land to whoever they like. The plot on Gulshan 32/A road has been allotted under political consideration.”
“This is a secret matter. I can’t tell you anything else.”
He advised the correspondent to file an information request to get details.
On Apr 30, an information request was filed under the Right to Information Act to the RAJUK information officer and Zone-5 Director Shah Alam.
Under the law, such requests are to be processed within 20 working days and the applicant has to be informed within 10 working days if the information cannot be given out.
The information officer has been saying that the information will be provided but there will be some ‘delay’.
On Sunday, Zone-5 Director Shah Alam said the information “has not reached him yet”.
From Apr 30 to June 1 there were 10 weekends and two other state holidays, which means Monday is the 21st working day since the application was submitted.
Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif has been allotted a 5-Katha (1.65 decimals) land in Gulshan, the capital’s most expensive real estate area in Dhaka.
Rajdhani Unnyan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) allotted plot number 3 on 32/A, Gulshan residential area, to the Kushtia-3 MP on Dec 15 last year at a minimum price.
A letter from RAJUK said former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif has been allotted the land at Tk 5 million per Katha under Section 13/A of the land allotment policy.
That law allows for state-owned land to be provided to ministers and MPs.
But Hanif was neither MP nor a minister at the time of allotment. bdnews24.com has a copy of this letter.
According to the letter, Hanif applied for the land on May 18, 2010 and it was allotted to him vide a memo of the housing ministry on Nov 7, 2013.
That was after a decision on the allotment was taken at the RAJUK’s 11th general meeting that year.
The allotment letter issued from RAJUK Estate Division 1 identifies Hanif as Awami League joint general secretary.
Hanif received several calls from bdnews24.com but refused to comment on the issue.
“You have something to say? Then come meet me face to face. Why on the phone?”
RAJUK Chairman GM Jainal Abedin Bhuiyan told bdnews24.com: “There’s a privilege quota for allotting government land. Maybe he was given the plot under that quota.”
The government can make such allotments to freedom fighters, families of martyrs, ministers, MPs and people who are considered to have made important contributions to the nation, he said.
When told that Hanif was not a minister or an MP at the time of allotment, the chairman said he would have to check the files before making a comment.
On Sunday the RAJUK chairman could not be reached for comment. His office said he was attending a meeting at the ministry.
RAJUK Estate Division 1 Deputy Director Abdul Wadud at first refused to share any information.
Our correspondent then contacted his superior, the director of the division Mohammad Musa, who called Wadud and asked him to give information.
In the interview that followed, Deputy Director Wadud said, “The government that is in power can give land to whoever they like. The plot on Gulshan 32/A road has been allotted under political consideration.”
“This is a secret matter. I can’t tell you anything else.”
He advised the correspondent to file an information request to get details.
On Apr 30, an information request was filed under the Right to Information Act to the RAJUK information officer and Zone-5 Director Shah Alam.
Under the law, such requests are to be processed within 20 working days and the applicant has to be informed within 10 working days if the information cannot be given out.
The information officer has been saying that the information will be provided but there will be some ‘delay’.
On Sunday, Zone-5 Director Shah Alam said the information “has not reached him yet”.
From Apr 30 to June 1 there were 10 weekends and two other state holidays, which means Monday is the 21st working day since the application was submitted.
