Strength of Rajuk insufficient to stop unplanned dev
Says study
Dhaka city has developed in a chaotic fashion as Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk) is not sufficiently equipped to foresee the consequences of unplanned development, says a study.
“Before giving building permission, Rajuk hardly considers the long-term consequences of that construction. Corruption also has resulted in the issuance of inappropriate land use clearance and building permits,” says the study.
The study titled “Mismanagement of Growth and Planned Development of Dhaka city: The Necessity of Proper Enforcement of Planning Standards” was conducted by Md Akter Mahmud, a teacher at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of Jahangirnagar University.
It says now Rajuk has a few legal tools, including the town improvement act and the building construction rules, but these rules were never used adequately to control and manage the development of the city; instead the development deviated from the master plan in many cases.
According to the study, development control in Dhaka city is largely hampered for various reasons. The reasons include not exercising the existing planning rules properly, lack of regular supervision by officials concerned, inadequate building inspectors, absence of database management system and lack of practice of new technology.
The study says the land use of metropolitan Dhaka should follow the provision of its master plan. “Housing commercial and industrial project buildings need land use clearance and building permits in conformity with the land use provisions of the master plan.”
Another study titled 'The Urban Frontiers of Dhaka: Creating Space Above The Water' says Rajuk, as the city development agency, has geared all of its activities to serve the affluent section of society. “It has not made any significant contributions towards providing land or housing to the urban poor of Dhaka.”
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