UDC to help ensure planned growth of city
A highly powered Urban Development Committee (UDC) is now in place at Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) to help coordinate infrastructure development activities, introduce plan, control and develop traffic system for proper urbanisation.
The UDC got formal shape for functioning with election of president, two vice-presidents (VPs) and a member secretary on March 21.
The government formed the 15-member UDC in October last year to provide overall assistance in urban development following Building Construction (BC) rules of 2008, sources said.
The committee at its first meeting held at CDA conference room on March 21 elected CDA Chairman Abdus Salam its president, Joint Secretary (development and administration) Begum Shirin Akter of Ministry for Housing and Public Works and BIA, Chittagong President Architect Taslimuddin Chowdhury vice-presidents and CDA Chief Engineer Iqbal Hossain Majumder member secretary, said the sources at CDA.
Additional Chief Engineer Abdul Quader of Public Works zone, Additional Chief Architect Delena Begum of Department of Architecture, Additional Divisional Commissioner Shyma Pada Dey, Chittagong University vice chancellor nominated representative Dr Jahangir Alam of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Cuet), Chittagong City Corporation Town Planner Rezaul Karim, Department of Environment (DoE) Chittagong Director Mostafizur Rahman, Bangladesh Institution of Planners Chittagong President Ali Ashraf and Institution of Engineers Bangladesh, Chittagong President Engineer Delwar Hossain Majumder were made the members of the committee.
However, three other members will be appointed from the civil society soon for two-year term, sources said.
The committee would be able to invite any professional expert or anyone to attend its meeting if required, they said.
The UDC would recommend rules and future outlines for development and development control in Chittagong city and supervise conformity with construction or development works with the BC rules, said CDA Deputy Chief Town Planner Shahinul Islam Khan.
It would enforce the building construction rules during the construction in the greater interest of the city dwellers or urban development, he said.
The committee would also provide guidelines for the matters that can not be settled under the building construction rules rules.
If any intended building owner feels like affected or aggrieved by any decision or plan given or approved by the authorisation department he can lodge an appeal to the UDC for solution, said Shahinul, also chairman of CDA Authorisation Committee.
While talking to The Daily Star after the meeting, CDA Chairman Abdus Salam said as per the tasks it is entrusted with the UDC to ensure quality, transparency and accountability in constructing any structure within the area under CDA master plan.
The UDC would settle any dispute between the intended building owners and CDA authorisation department as well, Salam said.
"We want to develop the city as a planned one. We would make the UDC an effect committee for proper urbanisation and planned growth of the city ensuring maximum urban facilities," Salam added.
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