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MoRSHED ALI KHAN

Height limits ignored by high-rise builders
Strict height limits throughout the city, particularly in Dhanmondi and Lalmatia, are silently being undermined by builders, causing frustration to residents and confusion among Rajuk officials.
According to the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, nobody is allowed to construct above six storeys in residential areas throughout the city. Despite tremendous pressure from the landowners, especially on the four declared commercial roads of Road-2, Satmasjid Road, Sheikh Kamal Avenue and Mirpur Road, the ministry had remained firm about the height limit in both the areas.
The ministerial notification on the height limit was served on the basis that if the height limit goes up, the density of population would be too much for the existing amenities such as water, gas, electricity, telephone, sewerage and road
communication.
But recently things have silently changed. In Lalmatia, Rajuk has approved an unspecified number of nine to twelve storey buildings. And every day more high-rise buildings are in the offing throughout the city in violation of the existing policy.
To the 'frustration' of other landowners and residents of Satmasjid Road and Lalmatia, Rajuk has approved, for the first time, a nine-storey structure on Satmasjid Road for a 150-bed hospital called City Hospital. The structure, on the fringe of Block-E of Lalmatia but situated on the Satmasjid Road, is fast nearing completion. The Managing Director of the City Hospital Habibullah told The Daily Star that they had obtained approval from "sixteen different" departments of the government including that of
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Rajuk before 'laying bricks for the seventh floor and upwards".
The official version on the building height issue is more confusing than ever. Mirza Abbas, the Minister for Housing and Public Works, said 'corruption' among officials involved in the governance of construction sector is the 'main problem'. He said there are instances when "some retired officials were found approving building plans in back dates from their homes". There are also instances when Rajuk reported back to the ministry that it has no backup files to check whether some listed buildings had any approved plans, Abbas said.
In the presence of this correspondent, the minister rang up the Chairman, Rajuk to get clarification on the building height limit in Dhanmondi and Lalmatia. The Rajuk chairman was in confusion about the matter and thus said in Lalmatia "it seems" the restriction has been lifted.
"What do you mean by 'it seems'?" Abbas replied, "please let me see the papers showing the lifting of the ban."
In fact it is easy to obtain any approval for any height. According to a developer who recently obtained an approval for a nine
storey building in Lalmatia, the landowner has to grab an underhand package offered initially by the National Housing Authority (NHA) (previously known as Housing and Settlement Department) at its area office in Mohammad. Under the deal the NHA issues a "No Objection Certificate" (NOC) against the proposal for construction of a high-rise building. The NOC simply says, " The NHA has no objection if Rajuk approves the nine-storey structure as per law of the land". The owner now strikes a deal with some Rajuk officials, who get the plan approved on the basis of the NOC.
"Here if you ask the Executive Engineer of NHA he would plead innocence on the pretext that he clearly wrote in the NOC that the approval should be given as per the law of the country," said the developer requesting anonymity.
On the other hand, Rajuk approves the plan officially shielding itself with the NHA's certificate. "When it comes to accountability, NHA and Rajuk would point the finger at each other and get away with the violation," the developer said.