283 get plots at Uttara, Purbachal

3rd Phase Lottery
283 get plots at Uttara, Purbachal
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) yesterday announced the names of 283 plot winners of the third phase lotteries for Purbachal New Town Project and Uttara Model Town Project.
Of the total, the names of 55 winners were picked in one category – journalist — for Purbachal project while the rest for Uttara project.
Rajuk, however, did not hold lotteries for 60 plots at Purbachal and Uttara (55 plots at Purbachal and five plots at Uttara) in journalist category as the plots have been reserved for distribution under political consideration.
The formal draw of the lotteries for Purbachal and Uttara plots was held at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city.
There were seven categories — journalist, foreign exchanges earner, freedom fighter, artist/sportsperson, industrialist and businessman, private jobholder, lawyer and justice — for Uttara project.
This was the third round draw for Purbachal plots this year. The previous two were held on September 16 and October 10.
State Minister for Housing and Public Works Abdul Mannan Khan said, “We held the draw on 50 percent plots based on the suggestions of journalist leaders and 50 percent more plots will be distributed through seniority and salary scale basis.”
“There were different groups of journalists many of them wanted lottery and many other wanted to distribute plots through seniority and salary scale basis. That’s why, we held lotteries on 50 percent plots in this category,” he added.
Ministers, state ministers and lawmakers will be given plots directly while government jobholders, autonomous organisations jobholders and defence forces will get plots based on seniority and salary structure of the applicants.
The state minister said the names of the plot winners for the remaining categories under two projects will be given by this month.
Meanwhile, the High Court (HC) yesterday directed the government and the Rajuk authorities to keep plots at Uttara 3rd phase reserved for 130 people whose allotments were cancelled during the caretaker government.
The HC bench of Justice Shahidul Islam and Justice Syeda Afsar Jahan passed the order upon applications filed by five people whose plots were cancelled.
The BNP government on October 6, 2006 allotted the plots at Uttara 3rd phase project of Rajuk but the caretaker government last year cancelled the allotments and invited fresh applications for the project.
The deprived plot seekers filed five separate writ petitions with the HC earlier this year challenging the cancellation of their allotments.
The court issued separate rules upon the government and the Rajuk authorities to explain why the decision of cancelling the allotments and inviting new applications should not be declared illegal.
As the petitions were pending with the HC, the government organised the draw of the lotteries for allotment of the plots.
On November 2, the five writ petitioners filed separate applications with the HC for injunction on the lottery draw.
After hearing the petitions, the HC bench passed the order for reserving plots for the 130 writ petitioners and disposed of the five applications for injunction.

Courtesy of The Daily Star