Dhaka City Land Owners Association has announced that they are seeking a new building law in light of the previous, people-friendly Dhaka Metropolitan Building Construction Rules 2008, suspending the discriminatory DAP (2022-2035). The leaders of the organization have alleged that more than 200,000 landowners in Dhaka are being affected by the new DAP. The landowners have announced that they will go to the country’s courts and, if necessary, the international court to enforce their demands.
The organization’s chief coordinator, Professor Dr. Dewan M. A. Sajjad, made these remarks at a press conference organized at the Zahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall of the National Press Club on Sunday (August 24). Dhaka City Land Owners Association coordinators Tanvirul Islam Chowdhury, KM Ejaz Mahmud, Engineer Humayun Kabir Shimul, Adv. Rezaul Hossain (Supreme Court), journalist Bablu Rahman, Syeda Afsarun Nahar Liza and other coordinators were present at the press conference.
At a press conference, the organization’s chief coordinator, Professor Dr. Dewan M. A. Sajjad, said that the height and area of the building have been illogically reduced in the new DAP, ignoring the interests of the landowners. Whereas earlier a 10-storey building could be constructed on the same amount of land, currently only 5-storey buildings are being approved. Due to this, the landowners are facing huge losses.
He alleged that by reducing the number of units per katha in DAP and reducing the FAR, the regulatory institutions including RAJUK have cheated landowners and created discrimination in the name of DAP. After the new DAP was passed, many buildings are being built in exchange for bribes, breaking the rules. Even if the law on DAP is strict, it will only be a bribe trap. You have seen how the white stones of Sylhet have disappeared despite having strict laws and regulations. Even though DAP has been in place for three years, many rivers, canals and gullies have been filled in during this time. The government is not paying any attention to it. No roads have been built in Dhaka in a planned manner in 3 years. The government is just sitting around with a DAP on paper.
They are only lying about one thing, they will not allow buildings to be built upwards. The plan made by the urban planners has no resemblance to reality. The plan they have made for Dhaka will require many people to leave Dhaka. There is no plan for where and how those people will live. We have heard that the DAP of Dhaka will change after 3 years. Is it up to a boy to build a building! I have now built a 5-storey building. Will I build an 8-storey building again when the rules change after 3 years?
In a written statement, the landowners said that a city plan should be made with a target of 50 years. The population of Dhaka will increase further in the future due to reality. We have to plan keeping that goal in mind. We have to build new roads. But no initiative is being taken to widen 12 and 16-foot roads in the new DAP amendment being brought. At the rate at which our country’s population is increasing, agricultural land will decrease drastically after the next 30 years. The government must take initiative now to protect agricultural land. No houses can be built on agricultural land. Canals must be protected. But if buildings are not allowed to be built on the upper side and the number of units per katha is reduced, agricultural land and canals will quickly run out. Then there will be a food crisis in the country. Floods will occur due to the absence of canals. Cities will be flooded with a little rain. It seems that a group has planned to paralyze the country by implementing it. We, the landowners of Dhaka, will not let that happen. The sky is endless. We, the people of Dhaka, want to utilize it. We are ready to provide land for roads. Ready to expand the road. He made 4 demands on behalf of the Dhaka City Land Owners Association. Declaring and implementing DAP 2025-35 in light of the Building Construction Rules of 2008 Abolish the discriminatory FAR system and the number of units per katha; Simplification of the construction approval process and end of harassment by RAJUK; And inclusion of the Dhaka City Land Owners Association as a stakeholder in the meetings related to DAP amendments. Professor Sajjad warned, “If our demands are ignored, we will not hesitate to approach the country’s highest court or even the international court.” After the press conference, the landowners answered various questions from journalists.
