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Dubious Housing Business

Realtors want no Rajuk action

Tawfique Ali
Real estate developers' association Rehab in a letter has asked Rajuk not to "interfere" in its five-day housing fair that opens in the city today.
Real Estate Housing Association of Bangladesh (Rehab) is holding the fair at
the city's Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. Abdul Mannan Khan, state minister for housing and public works, is scheduled to open the fair this morning.
Rehab in its letter mentioned the mobile court drives by Rajdhani Unnayan
Kartripakkha (Rajuk) against illegal housing schemes as a move "without legal basis".
They also termed Rajuk officials' inspection and monitoring against publicity and sale of illegal land plot or apartment by private real estate developers at the fair "illegal activities and interference".
The association that stands for business interests of the private real estate developers requested the Rajuk chairman to stop Rajuk's legal actions against dubious business of a section of real estate developers.
Md Nurul Huda, chairman of Rajuk, told The Daily Star the Rehab letter has no basis and they would run a public notice in this regard in the media today.
"We will as usual carry out inspection and mobile court drives to prevent any illegal private housing schemes on display for sale and publicity at the fair in accordance with the law, "he said.
According to documents, three executive magistrates of Rajuk are empowered to conduct mobile court under three different laws within 1,528-square-kilometre Rajuk jurisdiction.
The laws to be enforced by Rajuk mobile courts are the Real Estate Development and Management Act, Building Construction Act, and Wetlands Conservation Act.
Sheikh Abdul Mannan, a member of Rajuk board, said Rehab had written a similar letter earlier against Rajuk officials' monitoring duty and Rajuk responded saying the desire was not legally maintainable.
Taking legal actions against unauthorised private housing schemes is a routine work of Rajuk and it would not be daunted by such unfounded desire, added Mannan.
Anisuzzaman Bhuiyan Rana, Rehab general secretary, who signed the letter, said they had written the letter because Rajuk actions at the fair are disgraceful and discouraging
for people, who now may not come to the promotional event.
"We do not need Rajuk at the fair because Rehab has an information and media cell to prevent illegal schemes," he said, adding, "Moreover, many developers take part in the fair from beyond Rajuk's jurisdiction."
Rajuk turns a blind eye on occasional fairs of unauthorised real estate products arranged by developers, who are not members of Rehab, Rana alleged. "Above all, Rajuk has no moral authority to enforce housing-related laws being a real estate developer itself."
Priya Prangan, an unauthorised private housing scheme in Keraniganj, is one of the sponsors of this year's Rehab fair. Nasrul Hamid Bipu, a ruling party lawmaker and president of Rehab, owns the scheme.
Despite repeated attempts to obtain his version, Bipu did not pick up his phone.
The High Court (HC) in a judgement in June 2011 following a writ petition declared 78 private housing projects in and around Dhaka city illegal. In December the same year the HC banned publishing advertisements of any unauthorised housing projects in the print and electronic media.
The HC also ordered the government to take stern action against publicity and earth filling for such projects.
The HC directions were binding on Rehab, housing ministry, Rajuk, land ministry and the Department of Environment.
However, scores of illegal housing projects were displayed and sold at Rehab fair in December 2011 in violation of the HC order. The same occurred in the Rehab fair in midJunelastyear.
Unauthorised housing projects have been undertaken by filling rivers, canals, flood plains, retention ponds, lakes and low-lying lands, according to documents of the writ petitioners.