Tk 454 crore housing projects in the offing

Under the projects three urban villages named Nilima, Ananya and Kalpaloke Phase II will be developed in the rough terrain of East Nasirabad, Kulgaon and Bakolia, sources said.

The projects taken under the Chittagong Metropolitan Master Plan (CMMP) will ensure sustainable environment conserving hills, water bodies, park and open spaces in those areas.

"Under the projects over 3,000 residential plots would be created alongside separate flat blocks and commercial plots", CDA Chief Engineer Shah Mohammad Akhteruddin said this while he was talking to this correspondent at his office on Sunday.

"Besides, sites would be preserved for 'retained green spaces' as well as for schools, colleges, shopping arcades, hospital, kitchen markets and play ground," he said.

Tk 240 crore Nilima project would be the largest one on some 217 acres of land at the picturesque hilly sites to the east of Foy's Lake at East Nasirabad under Bayezid thana.

The project site is a portion of 3000 acres of land where the CDA planned to develop three projects - Khulshi Phase 1, Khulshi Phase II/A and Khulshi II/B in late seventies at Khulshi.

The Khulshi projects were abandoned in early eighties as the government had not given permission.

Wanton hill cutting and use of a large track of land as brick fields caused massive degradation of environment including the landscape there, sources said.

Sources in CDA said, 1200 residential plots would be developed under the Nilima project apart from commercial ones and flat blocks. Twenty acres of land would be retained as "green spaces" while 18 acres would be kept aside for creation of urban and other facilities.

The profile of the Nilima housing project has been sent to the Ministry of Public Works and Housing from where, it would be dispatched to the Ministry of Planning and Finance for its approval soon, CDA sources said.

The implementation of the project would start immediately after it gets the clearance from the finance ministry to complete within two years, they said.

The affected land owners will get plots on priority basis in proportion to their land," CDA chief engineer said.

The CDA board at a meeting approved two other projects - Ananya and Kalpaloke recently. They would be sent to the ministry concerned soon for approval.

CDA will implement Ananya housing project on 115 acres of land at Kulgaon under Bayezid thana at a cost of Tk 114 crore. Under the project, 1130 residential plots will be developed apart from commercial ones and flat blocks while 13.5 acres of land to be kept for open spaces and structures to provide urban and other facilities.

Tk 100 crore Kalpaloke Phase II will be on 90 acres of land at Bakolia. Under the project 831 residential plots will be developed while 14 acres of land to be preserved for open spaces and other facilities, sources said.