Developer of the tilted building at Kathalbagan in the capital Asia Comtech Builders Ltd has made a deal with flat owners at the seven-storey Haider Asia Tower to reconstruct the building and hand it over to them by the end of next year.

The two sides signed the contract on Tuesday night, said Monir Uddin, president of the flat owners association.

“According to the deal, the developer will reconstruct the building and hand over the flats by December 2011, and we will extend cooperation in this regard,” he told The Daily Star yesterday. The developer however could not be contacted over the phone despite repeated attempts.

The building still to be completed leaned to a 17-storey building next to it on Sunday night creating panic among residents of the buildings and local people.

Meanwhile, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha is yet to start demolishing the flawed structure.

The inquiry committees formed in this regard visited the site yesterday morning.

In a related development, owners of the 13 flats at the building have taken an initiative for demolition of the structure.

“We have already made aTk 17.50 lakh deal with a firm named Halima Enterprise to knock down the building and we are now trying to get Rajuk's permission for this. The developer will bear the cost,” Monir Uddin said.

Rajuk Chief Engineer Khandokar Salauddin, who heads a 10-member demolition supervision team, however refused to allow them to do the job.

“The demolition will be done under the supervision of Buet (Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology) experts, and workers of the owners can be involved in the work,” he said.

Contacted, head of the Buet team Prof AMM Shafiullah, said, “We have observed the building and we will sit today to work out propermethodofdemolishingit.” TENANTS'DEMAND President of Bangladesh Bharatia Odhikar Sangrakkhan Society Md Shahidullah Patwari and Secretary General Kamruddin yesterday demanded that Rajuk publish a list of the 5,000 buildings constructed in violation of rules.

In a joint statement, they also demanded making rules providing for stern action against those involved in such mischief.