The government will not allow to build more than eight-storied residential buildings in Dhaka Metropolitan area, a draft proposal of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) says.
The draft of the Rajuk’s fresh Detailed Area Plan (DAP) also proposes the maximum number of floors for residential buildings in Narayanganj City Corporation, Gazipur City Corporation and Savar municipal area under RAJUK to be six.
The draft is expected to be finalized by December this year, sources said.
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) has recently uploaded the draft of DAP for public review on its website.
By logging on to the Rajuk website www.rajuk.gov.bd, anybody can give their suggestion on the draft DAP till November 4, Rajuk officials said.
According to the draft, in Dhanmondi, up to 14-storied residential building could be constructed till now. This proposal will be applicable to all areas of Dhaka Metropolitan area with few exceptions.
“Generally, in case of residential building, Rajuk would not allow construction of over eight-storied building. However, in some special cases like metro rail station, block-based development or terminal construction Rajuk would allow construction of 10-storied building,” a Rajuk official said.
Sources said that the amended draft has been prepared with an aim to decrease the density of population in the capital to make it more worthy of living.
In this regard, the General Secretary of Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP), Dr Adil Muhammad Khan told Bangladesh Post, “The population of Dhaka city has increased. If it is not brought under control, the city will become more vulnerable and will become uninhabitable. For that reason, I welcome the initiative of maximum eight-storey building to reduce the population density of Dhaka.”
The existing DAP expired in 2016 but will be effective until the publication of the notification on revised DAP in the Bangladesh Gazette.
Rajuk planners said that the population in the capital, consisting Dhaka and some areas of Gazipur and Narayanjanj under the DAP area, may reach 2.75 core by 2035.
Rajuk town planner Ashraful Islam said, “The aim of the revised DAP would be to make the capital livable for such a huge number of population by redeveloping the already overcrowded areas in the capital, discouraging individual housing projects, keeping more open spaces, parks, playgrounds, wetlands and agricultural lands.”
“Many areas of Old Dhaka will be redeveloped preserving the heritage sites while the new areas will be allowed to develop by protecting rivers, canals, ponds and agricultural lands,” he added.
According to a Rajuk survey conducted in 2019, over 4,75,596 people lived in 24,504 houses in 11 wards of the Old Dhaka while 40 percent of the houses are one-storey buildings.
In the revised DAP, Rajuk will encourage residents of Old Dhaka to initiate joint-venture building projects by offering them different incentives.
In addition, if there are a number of schools in the area, as per the DAP's proposed criteria, those buildings will be given a higher approval than the prescribed height. That is, if a plot owner allocates a floor of his building to housing the lower classes in an area where there are more schools than planned, an additional two-storey building will be allowed.
