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Rajuk tactfully overlooks DU defiance of building rules

Tawfique Ali
The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) seems lenient with the Dhaka University authorities in enforcing building rules as no action has been taken against unauthorised construction on the campus.
The DU authorities are going on with building construction one after another on the campus without approval from Rajuk ignoring the existing rules and widespread public criticism.
Though legally required by Metropolitan Building Construction Rules (BC) of 2007 to obtain approval for any kind of building construction, modification and alteration from Rajuk, the DU authorities have been consistently doing construction works without Rajuk approval.
The DU authorities have recently started construction and extension of a number of high-rise buildings including a 12-storey high-rise for Social Sciences Faculty, vertical extension of a tall building in the commerce faculty and reconstruction of Fazlul Haq Hall's
north block.
Asked about Rajuk's role in dealing with the matter, its chairman KAM Haroon said it is the jurisdiction of building construction (BC) committee and duty of authorised officer to take action in this regard.
"The BC committee and authorised officer act independently as they are formed and appointed by the government," Haroon said. "We just provide them with logistic support."
The Rajuk chairman confirmed that the DU authorities do not obtain approval for its building plans. "They do not submit any plan. But we cannot force them to submit," he said.
The DU authorities must have at least a master plan for development, Haroon said.
Rajuk very recently issued a public notice in the mass media notifying all that any organisation or individual has to obtain land use clearance and approval of building design from Rajuk within its jurisdiction (590 square kilometres).
Vice-chancellor of Dhaka University Prof SMA Faiz said earlier that it has been a long practice that buildings on DU campus, in many cases, were
constructed without formal approval.
Rajuk has never opposed to building construction at DU without its permission, said Prof Faiz.
Rajuk Director (Development Control) Sheikh Abdul Mannan said that as per the building rules, DU authorities have to obtain approval of a building plan from Rajuk.
Asked why Rajuk have not taken any action against unauthorised building construction on Dhaka University campus. Mannan said, "Let’s see what we can do in this regard."
According to eminent urban development expert Prof Nazrul Islam, now chairman of the University Grants Commission, the one-storey Modhur Canteen building at Dhaka University is more than hundred years old and is of immense historic importance. But the underconstruction 12-storey Social Science faculty building in the vicinity of Modhur Canteen will undermine its significance.
As per the BC Act, any building must be approved by an authorised officer or a designated building official, said
President of the Institute of /Vchitects Bangladesh (LAB) Mubasshar Hussain.
Inaction against violation of laws in case of Dhaka University gives a wrong message to the general public that laws are not equally applicable to all, he said.
Experts of the DU committee on building construction and repair also said that DU authorities would have to obtain building approval and that building without approval is a violation of law.
The Town Improvement Act of 1953 delegated Rajuk with the authority to approve and oversee any building plan within its jurisdiction and demolish any unauthorised building.
It is a clear double-standard on part of the government that a law is applied strictly in case of individuals but certain organisations remain above it, said an expert.
The experts said government organisations including the public universities have to obtain permission from Rajuk for building construction. However, the armed forces have been kept out of the purview of the law considering their security and confidentiality.