WHILE speaking at the consultation meeting on the updating process of Dhaka’s DAP (Detailed Area Plan) , organised by Rajuk at its Dilkusha head office on Wednesday, a number of influential Real Estate businessmen said that Dhaka city needs no wetlands and water retention areas around it for storm drainage and environmental conservation. Surprisingly, the vice-president of Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh echoed the same. He even added by saying, only artificial drainage system would be sufficient for freeing the city of water logging. Given the past five years non-stop grabbing of our wetlands we have seen how badly the capital suffered from water logging and now the realtors have right away rejected the need for recovering and maintaining the wetlands of the capital.
In fact, what they have done is a blatant attempt to justify land and wetland grabbing. This is unacceptable. Moreover, they even went as far as by demanding to whatever wetlands are filled up and developed should be included and accepted in the upcoming DAP.
The fact, however, According to the RAJUK’s master plan, there is no scope for endorsing whatever wetlands and water bodies which have been filled up. Additionally, the upcoming DAP should not anyhow be drafted without the approval of RAJUK, planners and experts. However, it is the sheer scale of audacity of our realtors that shocks us.
For more than couple of decades the people and the citizens of Dhaka have helplessly witnessed how systematically and illegally the unholy nexus of realtors have become unimaginably powerful. It is, as if, there were never a regulator to monitor and deter their rampant seizing of public, private lands and water bodies. Following their latest unrealistic demand and allegedly spending of thousands of crores to legitimize their business interests – they appear unstoppable.
It isn’t rocket science to realize that water logging in the city is increasing mainly due to lack of water bodies. Those who deny it, they deny the capital’s reality and the rights of people. Rivers, canals and water bodies in and surrounding Dhaka should be conserved at any cost.
The realtors must acknowledge artificial drainage system is not enough to prevent the increasing water logging in Dhaka and our other big cities. Given this year’s unspeakable woes caused due to water logging, the RAJUK must not succumb to their unrealistic demand. Additionally, we don’t expect these Real Estate businessmen to anyhow negatively influence the making of the upcoming DAP.
Lastly, we expect the government to seriously take note of the pre-planned self-seeking policies that these developers are trying to include in a crucial government policy. RAJUK should follow the course which suits best to serve the interest of the people’s housing needs. It must never become hostage to the harmful and unlawful business needs of a handful Real Estate owner.
