Rajuk again misses deadline for finalisation of DAP

The deadline for finalisation of much-awaited detailed area plan for the capital city has been extended again by another six months apparently allowing a section of land developers to develop land during the period.
After the extension of the deadline three times, the city development authority fixed June 30 to finalise the detailed area plan.
The housing and public works ministry at a June 15 meeting extended the timeframe to get the DAP gazetted. Now the DAP will have to be gazetted by the year end, sources in Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha said.
Urban experts and green activists, however, denounced the government’s decision to extend the timeframe for the fourth time, saying that further extension of the deadline for finalising the DAP will help the real estate businessmen to go for unplanned urbanisation.
‘Extension of the deadline by another six months means allowing unplanned urbanisation for another six months,’ said urban expert Professor Nazrul Islam, also chairman of the University Grants Commission.
Rajuk sources said a certain quarter of land developers has long been trying to delay in finalising the DAP by creating pressure on Rajuk as well as on the government.
The land developers were developing land in the eastern fringe of the capital in the absence of detailed plan for the city, the sources added.
When contacted, DAP project director Tapan Kumar Nath declined to make comments on further extension of the deadline for DAP.
Earlier, Tapan told New Age, ‘I want the project to be completed within the stipulated time.’
‘If the DAP is finalised within the stipulated time, filling of flood flow zones by the vested quarter will be hindered and that’s why the time has been extended further,’ said a Rajuk official who is involved with preparing the DAP.
The DAP Project, Phase III of Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan, was initiated in 2004 at an estimated cost of Tk 22.47 crore, but later the project cost stands at Tk 24.94 crore.

Courtesy of NewAgebd