FBCCI body calls for making DAP realistic

Business Desk :
The meeting of “Standing Committee on Implementation of Detailed Area Plan (DAP)” was held at FBCCI building in Motijheel on Tuesday.
Golam Sarwar Milon, chairman of the standing committee, presided over the meeting.
Bashundhara Group Chairman and President of Bangladesh Land Developers Association (BLDA) Ahmed Akbar Sobhan attended the meeting as co-chairman of the committee. Among others, BLDA general secretary and Bangladesh Development Group chairman Mostafa Kamal Mohiuddin and FBCCI vice-president Md Helal Uddin were present. KM Akhtaruzzaman, Chairman of Akhtar Group, moderated the programme.
Golam Sarwar Milon told reporters that the meet has decided to prepare an action plan to be submitted to the government and hire a city planner from Singapore to suggest realistic and effective provisions to be included in DAP.
Explaining reasons for hiring expert from Singapore, he said “Singapore is overpopulated like Dhaka. So, the experts there can suggest best way of solving our problems.”
The FBCCI has decided to hold a seminar on DAP with the participation of all concerned. The standing committee at its next meeting to be held within February 10 will fix a date of seminar.
A committee has been formed to prepare “working paper” and “action plan” on DAP implementation to be presented in the seminar.
“We want DAP to be implemented for building a beautiful Dhaka city. But the current plan is faulty. It should be rectified to be acceptable and realistic,” said Golam Sarwar Milon.
The standing committee demanded inclusion of two members from FBCCI, BLDA and Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) each in the committee of Rajuk to implement its mega-plan meant for a period from 2016 to 2035.
Bashundhara Group Chairman and President of Bangladesh Land Developers Association (BLDA) Ahmed Akbar Sobhan underscored the need for DAP for building a healthy and beautiful Dhaka but such plan should be realistic and people-friendly.
He said the DAP should be prepared in line with the suggestions of renowned experts at home and abroad in the related field.
“If we get the chance, we will make a beautiful Dhaka city,” he added.
Referring to expertise of Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, he said, “The minister is an engineer. He was concerned with the ministry before now. He can use his experience to push the sector forward.”
BLDA general secretary Mostafa Kamal Mohiuddin depicted the catastrophic consequence of the housing sector due to the faulty DAP.
He said “The Rajuk could not approve any housing project in last 10 years due to DAP complications. More than 50 housing projects in private sector and three Rajuk projects are hard hit by the said plan.”
He said due to lack of approval, housing industry and some 300 sub-sectors concerned are facing debacle. About Tk 1 lakh 75 thousand crore has been invested in the housing industry. A major portion of the foreign remittance has been invested in this sector. Some 2.5 crore people directly or indirectly earn their livelihood from this sector. Around 25 lakh workers of this sector have been unemployed for not having new housing projects.
Mentioning that the developed housing is the standard of measurement for the civilization of a country, he said the implementation of DAP is necessary to make Dhaka as a beautiful city. But it has to be realistic.
Criticising Rajuk activities that one builder got the approval for constructing a four-storey-building while another builder in the same area has got the approval for making 10-storey-building, FBBCCI vice president Md Helal Uddin said as per Rajuk’s approval he has built a four-storey building. But the adjacent buildings were made 10 storey-buildings from where dusts are thrown on the rooftop of his building. All the buildings in an area should be given the similar permission as the developed cities follow that rule.
At the meeting, Rajuk Director (Plan Preparation) Md Sirajul Islam said, Rajuk has progressed for the mega plan of 2016 to 2035. A power point presentation will be arranged soon. All the people concerned will be present at the occasion.
Former FBCCI Director and also former chairman of DAP Related Standing Committee Syed Shamsul Kaunan Kutub suggested the FBCCI to play its role on DAP.
The incumbent director Obaidur Rahman, however, urged all to come out from the slogan that ‘Dhaka is unliveable city’ and to go forward through public and private partnership.
The standing committee of FBCCI comprises one chairman, one director in-charge, 11 co-chairmen and 90 members.