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
\nauthorities 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\u00a0 that they had received a list of only 20-25 buildings.
\nOn 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.
\nEight 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. \u201cWe 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,\u201d he said.
\nProf. 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.
\n\u201cWe can\u2019t 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,\u201d he said, in response to a query.
\nExamination of at least 10-12 buildings was still pending, because their owners did not deposit the required fees, Prof. Ansary further said.
\nSirajul Islam, chief town planner of the DCC (south), said RAJUK was yet to confirm that their submitted lists of buildings were
\nvulnerable.
\n\u201cWe 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,\u201d he said.
\nIslam further said that they had served notices to the building owners as per the RAJUK lists.
\n\u201cMany building owners have served legal notices to the DCC. The owners contend that they have constructed the buildings, after having RAJUK\u2019s approval,\u201d he added.
\nHowever, 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.
\n\u201cWe 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,\u201d he added.
\nHe also said that there were about 12-lakh buildings under RAJUK, and only
\nfour authorised officers to oversee them.
\n\u201cThese 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?\u201d he asked.
\nThe ministry had already approved 20 posts in this regard, he added.
\nThe 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.<\/p>\n

-With The Independent<\/span> input<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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