UNDOUBTEDLY it is a dream of all the city dwellers to own a home. It is not time that one can buy a plot of land and build a house in the city; what they do is that they usually go to a housing company and take help of brokers to arrange the buying a flat immediately or some time in future on payment in installment basis. But on most occasions they end up in cheating.
A report in a national English daily on Sunday said innumerable billboards of ‘dream cities’ offering ‘modern facilities’ are on roadside display in and around the city to attract buyers to fictitious projects. Some of them are named as American City, Japan Garden City or European Model Town. Some others are Purbachal Marine City, Shahara City and the like. But in reality most of these projects are located in the outskirt of the city where lands are still under pool of water, least to speak about any infrastructure in place. Reports said in many cases developers have posted sign boards on the roadside showing vast swath of land on the map under a leasing arrangement to landowners. The buyers see it attractive and enter into agreement to buy a plot or a flat and may continue in waiting only to find them betrayed at the end. At many other places land grabbers are taking away public and private land without valid document. Powerful political quarters are at work behind those developers and it means they are safe from being chased by law enforcers.
Moreover, many such housing schemes are located in RAJUK earmarked DAP area in Ashulia and at city eastern gate and one wonders how they are putting roadside commercials and even selling plot of land or flats which may not have any legal documents. Why RAJUK is tolerating these real estate companies is the big question. RAJUK cannot ignore its liability when hundred of people will face betrayal.
News reports said most housing companies have also targeted Non-Resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) to sell plots or flats. They see the panoramic view of the housing sites in promotional lay outs and commit to buy land or flat without knowing that the project sites in many cases are floating on the pool of water. We are afraid that the real estate companies which are working on future booking may cause big trouble to individual buyers at the end.
Moreover, the prices of land or plots are too high while the delivery of the apartment often hangs in balance with all sorts of dilatory tactics to realize additional cost from buyers. The housing business is more committed to earning windfall profit now and since the National Housing Authority is not enough to fill up the demand, private individuals remained exposed to growing exploitation of the real estate firms. We ask the government to formulate new housing policy for the city dwellers and effective regulatory regime for the private housing companies to protect buyers from falling into traps.
