Private entrepreneurs should join hands with the government to solve the housing problem in the densely populated capital city, the information minister said on Sunday.

"The city is overcrowded with lots of people migrating here everyday in search of jobs. It creates a huge pressure on limited lands. So, the housing problem is increasingly becoming a burning issue, especially for the middle class,"Abul Kalam Azad told the concluding function of the three-day Rupayan Housing Fair at a city hotel.

"Now, like elsewhere in the world, private entrepreneurs should join hands with the government to settle the issue,’’ the minister said.

Sadat Hossain Salim, managing director of Rupayan Housing Estate Limited, said Rupayan

Town, the largest satellite town project at Bhuighar off Dhaka-Narayanganj link road, has 784 ready flats and targeted mainly the middle class people.

Criticising the unplanned urbanisation and industrialisation, Salim said, "The government should take up a long-term planning for solving Dhaka's housing problem.”

"A special housing zone should be set up to manage the situation," he added.

Shafique Alam Mehedi, chairman of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, laid emphasis on addressing environmental concerns while going for any constructionworks.

Deen Mohammad, chief adviser of Rupayan Housing Estate Ltd, and Khaled Mohammad Jewel, general secretary of the Real Estate Housing Association of Bangladesh, were also present at the ceremony.