Mixed use of land to harm Dhaka: BIP

City planners of Dhaka yesterday demanded that the authorities concerned revise its decision of using land of Dhaka city in an indiscriminate way, as mixed use of land will harm the city.

According to draft of Detailed Area Plan (DAP) for the capital, different kinds of use in different floors of a building is allowed, said members of Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) in a press conference at its office.

At the press conference, members of BIP spoke at length about the flaws in the DAP draft, which has been formulated by consulting firms Sheltech and DDC under a work order by Rajdhani Unnayan Katripakkha (Rajuk).

"A building situated beside a 20 feet to 80 feet wide road will be eligible for different kinds of mixed use (like commercial use and residential use) based on floor area, which will create an anarchy in using a building," said Adil Mohammad Khan, general secretary of BIP.

He said though they have mentioned it as conditional in the draft, they did not mention the conditions specifically which will make the approval system of Rajuk weaker.

Adil said in the draft also mentions that by giving a certain amount of penalty, any person will be able to turn a residential plot to commercial plot in a planned residential area, which will reduce the livability of Dhaka city.

This mixed use will have to be in a limited scale, and will have to be balanced with the residential area's character, he said.

Adil -- who read out the keynote paper -- said in the draft, the flood flow zone has been mentioned as an overlay zone, and they mentioned its land use as agriculture zone.

He demanded to keep it as a flood flow zone like earlier, saying otherwise it will be conflicting with the Wetland Conservation Act, 2000.

"We will have to project our flood flow zones, and no terminology will be acceptable which will be conflicting with the Wetland Conservation Act, 2000," said BIP president Prof Akter Mahmud.

He also demanded to earmark all water bodies and canals in DAP specifically, and making a separate map on all ponds in Dhaka city

About protection of farmland, Adil said the draft DAP has given permission of turning agriculture land as single habitation, and at one point given conditional permission for eco-resort, agriculture-based industry, and single ownership-based home.

This single or multiple-habitation permission is conflicting with planned urbanisation, said Adil.

He said the draft of the DAP will have to mention the location and area for eco resorts.

BIP proposed enlisting 2,200 structures that the court has declared protection for as heritage sites in the DAP.

At present, the number of heritage buildings of Dhaka is steadily declining, as businesses and other entities continue to encroach and demolish the structures, they said.

Prof Akter also demanded upgradation of Rajuk and increasing its capacity so that it can do its main work -- development control -- properly.