Free parking spaces in one month or face action

The mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) yesterday called upon the building owners for freeing all the basement car park spaces from any illegal occupancy within the next one month.

"Otherwise, the authorities would be compelled to go for due legal actions to reclaim the designated parking spaces to resolve the city's horrendous traffic congestion," Annisul Huq told a discussion with the owners of illegal commercial enterprises in residential areas.

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DNCC organised the discussion at Gulshan Club along with the housing and public works minister, Dhaka south mayor, Rajdhani Unnyan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) chairman, and Gulshan Society president.

With 4,694 illegal commercial businesses, out of a total of 5,341, being run at residential buildings and properties in north Dhaka city corporation area, the residential life is turning unbearable, said Annis. There are over 6,000 residential properties with such illegal commercialisation together in south and north city corporation areas, he said.     

Dhaka south's Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon said residential areas were becoming unliveable with horrendous traffic congestion and environment pollution due to illegal commercial activities.

The housing and public works minister, Mosharraf Hossain, said he was going to take the issue to the highest authority as to how to sort out this problem.

"Features of residential areas have been ruined with reckless commercialisation and turned unliveable taking the full advantage of Rajuk's gross negligence in enforcing laws," said the minister.

"Doreen Tower in Gulshan, for example, with the approval to build 18 storeys, has constructed 25 storeys with Rajuk staying silent," he said.   

"It is true that the unbearable situation has been created in connivance with Rajuk," said its chairman, GM Jainal Abedin Bhuiyan.

But citing that there are 2,200 court injunctions and 5,204 cases barring Rajuk action against the offenders, he said they hardly could enforce building laws successfully.  

Mayor Khokan said Rajuk should cancel the plot lease deeds of those who violated the building laws and did business in violation of the lease deeds.

The Rajuk chairman, however, could not cite a single instance of taking such basic legal action although thousands of land plot lease holders have violated the lease deeds.   

Alauddin Mahmud, general secretary of the Federation of Hotel, Guest House and Restaurant Owners, claimed that illegal commercial establishments like hotels and restaurants did not damage the residential features.

Gulshan Society President ATM Shamsul Huda said those who had ruined residential neighbourhoods and the city at large with illegal commercial activities just to make money at any cost did not live in the country. "They just make money at the cost of public life in the country to live a comfortable life abroad," he said.    

The former chief election commissioner said Rajuk should not be allowed any further to function both as a real estate developer and development regulator -- it should do one thing.