New building rules in the offing
High-rises now dot many areas in the port city. The Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) has prepared new building construction rules to check unplanned construction of multistoried buildings.Photo: STAR
The new building construction rules prepared by the Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) await approval from the ministry of law. The new rules were aimed at checking unplanned construction and facilitating orderly growth of high-rise buildings as well as planned growth of the city. The draft of the building construction rules has already been approved by the housing and public works ministry. The draft incorporates the provision of 'floor area ratio' (FAR) to determine the ratio between open space and building space to protect the physical environment of the city, CDA sources said. A twenty-member committee headed by former CDA chairman Mahmudul Islam prepared the draft in 2005 in line with the building construction rules of the Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB), they said. As per new rules, a prospective building owner will have to obtain clearance for use of land and a plan for the foundation first and then seek approval for construction after completion of the plinth (base). He will get an 'occupancy certificate' only after construction of two floors following the BC rules properly. A one-stop service centre will facilitate and expedite the process of design approval for simple structures in the residential areas or in the areas having complete layout. The committee responsible for providing the occupancy certificate will be formed with members from PDB, Wasa, Chittagong and BGSL (Bakharabad Gas Systems Limited) as well, said the sources. A building will not get utility services without occupancy certificate after construction, they said. "It would help us monitor construction of a building from the very beginning and there will be no scope to raise structures in deviation of the approved plan and design," said CDA Chief Town Planner Shahinul Islam Khan, also member secretary of the draft preparation committee. "Besides, the engineer, architect and the building owner concerned will be held responsible for any deviation," he said. CDA will then ask the organisations like IAB or IEB to cancel the certificates of its enlisted architect or engineer, he added. CDA Chairman Shah Muhammad Akhter Uddin said there is also a provision in the draft BC rules which requires large and special projects like construction of over 7500 sq metres of land or beside highway and riverbank to seek permission from a proposed urban development committee. The committee will be formed with representatives from the Institute of Architectures Bangladesh (IAB), Institute of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB) and Institute of Town Planners (ITP) and civil society members, Akhter told The Daily Star. The rules will also have a provision for taking action against the constructions that may harm architectural heritage, he added. The provision of 'floor area ratio' will determine the area and height of a building and compel one to leave open space in proportion with permitted area for construction of a high-rise building, the sources said. They also said that the revised CDA Building Construction rule of 1996 has no guideline for construction of multi-storey buildings. It allows ground coverage ranging from 70 to 75 percent of the plot area for construction of a building where the height is determined considering the width of the road it (the plot) stands on. Disregarding the open space and pedestrian passage, the existing development pattern left the city choked with concrete jungles. Lack of adequate parking lots and entry spaces or ramps of the buildings coming down on the roads hinder smooth movement of vehicles and public to cause traffic congestion. The all-pervading concrete coverage of the ground also prevents infiltration of water into the ground. At the same time, wetland and parks are also disappearing fast due to unplanned construction and the situation might worsen further. For the construction of a residential building under the new rules, owners of up to two kathas of land will get the highest 67.5 percent ground coverage, owner of two to three kathas of land will get 65 percent ground coverage, an owner of three to five kathas will get 62.5 percent, an owner of five to 9 kathas will get 60 percent, an owner of nine to 12 kathas will get 57.5 percent, an owner of 12 to 14 kathas will get 55 percent, an owner of 14 to 18 kathas will get 52.5 percent, and an owner of 18 to above 20 kathas will get 50 percent ground coverage, the sources at CDA said.
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