Rajuk misses 4th deadline for handover of plots

21 May 2010, 18:00 PM

Helemul Alam

In a little more than a year, the city development authority has missed its own deadline for the fourth time to hand over thousands of plots to would-be homeowners in two areas of Dhaka. Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) had promised to begin handing over the plots in Uttara Model Town Third Phase and Purbachal New Town Project located in Narayanganj and Gazipur. Officials at Rajuk said now they will start handing over the plots by the end of this year after completing necessary development works including construction of roads in the projects areas. “We're going to complete the works of two sectors in Uttara out of four and two sectors in Purbachal out of 17 and we will start handing over the plots by this year,” said Rajuk Chairman Md Nurul Huda. The continuing delays in handing over the plots have frustrated those who won lotteries last year to buy the plots from the government. They have already put down money only to be left waiting. A government official who won a plot in Uttara third phase said he deposited all the required Tk 9 lakh in 2003 for a three-katha plot but he is still waiting to receive the land. “I have been passing my days under huge tension over the last six years as reputation of Rajuk is not good and most of its officials and employees are corrupt,” said the official requesting not to be named, as he is a government official. A total of 8115 plots on 2008 acres of land are being developed for distribution under the Uttara third phase while 26,000 plots on 6150 acres of land under Purbachal project. Around 90 percent of earth filling has been completed in Uttara third phase area, which was a marshland. After that, the government agency will have to construct 165km roads and 13 bridges on a 9.5km lake. On the other hand 80 percent land development work in Purbachal has so far been completed. While the agency have to build 250km roads and 63 bridges. The construction of 165km road and 13 bridges have been going on and it is expected to be completed by the next year, said Project Director of Uttara third phase Nurul Islam adding the roads at sector 15 and 16 will be ready by this year. “We have a plan to connect the project area with DOHS in Mirpur Section-12 and we will sit for a discussion with armed forces division in this regard,” Nurul Islam said. A resident of the area will be able to go to Mirpur-12 and also use the under construction Mirpur-12 to Zia Colony Road easily after the link, he said. Islam said they also have already taken initiative to start the work of 9.5km lake protection. "It will be possible to distribute plots at sector 15 and 16 from December if everything remains under their favour and plots at sector 17 will be distributed in the next year," said Islam adding that construction of bridges on the 9.5km long lake, which will take 16 months, will delay the plot handover of sector 17. Project Director of Purbachal ASM Rafiqul Alam said they will start handing over of plots from December and will be able to give utility services by the next year. Rafiqul said works of 63 bridges would also be completed by the next year. Some 50km road construction works, out of 250km in Purbachal have so far been completed, said another official at Rajuk adding that the work of rest of the roads will be completed by the middle of the next year. A proposal of the Purbachal project, which is scheduled to be completed by June 2010, has been waiting to be extended to 2013, said the official. “The land survey work in Gazipur side has been going on and we will try to complete even the Gazipur side buy this time,” he said.