In spite of identifying 550 unsafe residential buildings, 150 risky garment factories, and 7000 other city buildings built with deviations from Rajdhani Unnyan Kartipakkha (RAJUK) approved plans; a shifting of responsibility between the city corporation and the building
authorities shows there is no one to bell the cat.After the Savar tragedy on April 24, in which 1,127 garment workers were killed, the government directed RAJUK to run a check on the city and suburban industrial buildings. But nothing concrete has emerged, because of failure, attributed to RAJUK, by the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Though RAJUK claimed to have submitted a list of about 150 risky industrial buildings, to the BUET authorities, BUET sources informed that they had received a list of only 20-25 buildings.
On the other hand, the DCC said that though it had received a list of about 550 apparently vulnerable residential buildings from RAJUK, it could not conduct any drive against these buildings, due to lack of basic information, such as, if these buildings were built with RAJUK-approved plans and designs.
Eight teams formed by RAJUK on April 30, in the wake of the Rana Plaza tragedy, had submitted a list of about 150 apparently risky garment factory buildings to BUET, for scrutiny, Sheikh Abdul Mannan, member (planning) of RAJUK, told The Independent, on Wednesday. “We have also submitted a list of about 550 apparently risky residential buildings to the DCC, for necessary action in 2010. But, they are yet to take any action in this regard,” he said.
Prof. Mehedi Ahmed Ansary of BUET said that the university had received a list of about 20-25 industrial buildings from RAJUK, for a check on their structural designs.
“We can’t provide free service. If building owners want to run a check on their buildings, they have to pay us a fee. We have checked only two buildings, housing knitwear factories,” he said, in response to a query.
Examination of at least 10-12 buildings was still pending, because their owners did not deposit the required fees, Prof. Ansary further said.
Sirajul Islam, chief town planner of the DCC (south), said RAJUK was yet to confirm that their submitted lists of buildings were
vulnerable.
“We have asked for some basic information from RAJUK, about the buildings, including its approval letter. Three letters seeking relevant information have been sent to RAJUK, but RAJUK is yet to reply to any of those letters. We had requested the LGRD ministry, in April, to call an inter-ministerial meeting, to take up the matter,” he said.
Islam further said that they had served notices to the building owners as per the RAJUK lists.
“Many building owners have served legal notices to the DCC. The owners contend that they have constructed the buildings, after having RAJUK’s approval,” he added.
However, Sheikh Abdul Mannan added that only four authorised RAJUK officers had to monitor 1,528-sq km of area encompassing the capital and its suburbs.
“We are responsible only to monitor whether the buildings are being constructed as per architectural designs. The DCC is responsible for taking action against dilapidated buildings. It is our additional charge to identify the risky buildings, which is not mandatory, as per RAJUK rules,” he added.
He also said that there were about 12-lakh buildings under RAJUK, and only
four authorised officers to oversee them.
“These four authorised officers are also responsible for approving designs. At least 5,000-6,000 designs have to be approved by RAJUK annually. How could a team of four run such a huge operation?” he asked.
The ministry had already approved 20 posts in this regard, he added.
The RAJUK has already prepared a list of 7,000 buildings, which are being constructed with deviations from RAJUK approved designs and plans, Mannan said. He further said three mobile courts of RAJUK were conducting drives against these illegal buildings.
-With The Independent input
