Ensuring quality housing is a big challenge for the city dwellers in Dhaka, especially the lower-income and lower-middle-income groups, as they hardly get incentives from the government. Reversely, they are highly deprived as various public policies mostly favour the higher income group instead of the lower or lower-middle income groups, experts say.
According to the National Housing Policy, the government builds housing free of cost only for the landless and homeless people. For instance, nearly one million landless and homeless people are getting houses now under various housing schemes like the Ashrayan project.
Apart from this, the authorities do not provide them land or houses free of cost when people from lower income or middle income, slum dwellers and others build their shelter by themselves.
“The government only provides the policy support right now to the people. But this policy is very friendly to the higher income group. For example, once Rajuk (Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha) layouts the Purbachal Model Town, they keep 2% plot for lower- or lower-middle-income groups and the remaining plots disbursed mostly among the comparatively rich people,” said Prof Dr Adil Muhammad Khan, executive director of the Institute for Planning and Development (IPD).
“The house building policy also attains loan for housing, but the condition of the loan is not favourable for the lower-income or lower-middle-income groups,” he added.
Under the circumstances, World Habitat Day is being held in Bangladesh and worldwide under the theme of “Mind the Gap”.
According to the urban planners, the government has no housing project, scheme, or special incentive for the poor- or middle-income people.
Meanwhile, the government aims to ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums by 2030 following the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-11.1).
Three steps should be taken
The urban planners think such a goal cannot be achieved if the government remains indifferent. They believe the government should take three major steps to ensure quality housing and basic services.
Firstly, the government should conduct a need assessment survey for quality housing among various income groups to design a detailed housing plan.
Secondly, the government should involve the private sector in building low-income housing, and finally, it should give incentives.
“The need assessment survey will measure people’s affordability to fix the size of a flat. For example, lower-income people can get a flat of 400sq-ft, the lower-middle-income group can get 600sq feet, the middle-income can get 1,000sq-ft while rich people can get above 1,500sq-ft,” said Dr Adil.
Agreeing with the idea, renowned urban planner Prof Dr Aktar Mahmud told Dhaka Tribune that in the discussion of housing demand and supply in Dhaka, priority should be given to the housing crisis of the lower- and lower-middle-class.
“But unfortunately, they are deprived. The government should focus strongly on them if it really wants to mitigate the housing crisis.”
Dr Adil said the government should give incentives to poor people to mitigate the housing crisis. “It can be given in the form of land or loan.”
He said that the government should involve the private sector or make a public-private partnership to ensure housing for poor people by drafting new policies.
The Detailed Area Plan (DAP) for Dhaka also suggests involving the private sector in building low-income housing.
Architect Iqbal Habib, a board of trustees member of Bangladesh University, said: “People in this city mostly live without housing solutions. There is acute housing for poor people as over 4.4 million people live in slums of the capital.”
He suggested that the authorities keep an eye on the low-income group.
Rajuk Chairman Md Anisur Rahman Miah said: “We are getting an apartment project in Dhaka for the low-income group as the government highly emphasizes low-income housing.
“The project will ensure quality housing for slum dwellers,” he added.