NEWS report in a national daily on Monday said rapid urbanization around the city has reduced the size of the detailed area plan (DAP) of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) by about 21 percent in only five years. DAP earmarks water bodies, wetland, farm land and other conservation areas around the city to halt its expansion on such land to make sure that there is both enough flood flow zones, water retention areas, rivers and canals for swift drainage of flood water to protect the city’s environment.
But as it appears the newly finalized Dhaka Master Plan (2016-2035) which awaits publication by an Official Gazette Notification has sharply reduced the DAP area by encroachments already made under authorized and unauthorized development on the conservation areas during the past several years. Areas once earmarked as conservation areas have been shown now as urban areas in the Dhaka Master Plan reducing farmland and water flow areas to a large extent.
It is an open secret that corruption and irregularities are most rampant in RAJUK land development and distribution system. Land is most precious in Dhaka city and around it and powerful quarters are always active bringing pressure on the City Development Authority to give permission to develop new areas to develop commercial housing and residential plots. Government Ministers, MPs and other ruling party men spare no time to force RAJUK to act as it fits to their interest no matter it breaks existing DAP laws.
The encroachments made over DAP land during the past five years alone reduced it by 21 percent destroying canals, water flows, lakes and rivers. Such action has blocked swift water drainage system risking the city to be floating in floodwater during heavy rains and flood from upstream. Public and private land around Dhaka city is now severely threatened by powerful land grabbers using political influence.
It appears that in the previous 20 years’ city Master Plan till 2015 RAJUK had 1,528 square kilometers land which was equivalent to 33.96 percent of the Master Plan as urban promotional area. The new Master Plan for the next 20 years has now designated 58.62 percent area as urban promotional area reducing DAP conservation areas to around 41.38 percent.
There is no doubt Dhaka is facing heavy pressure for expansion. The latest development shows the two City Corporations are taking 16 Union Parishads in the city periphery under the city development plan. We believe it may be a good step for orderly development of the city. But in our view care must be taken so that local people are not evicted to give land to the rich who already possessed land and flats in the city to make them richer.
