The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) will make it mandatory for the housing authorities and building owners in Dhaka’s neighbourhoods to follow the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) and the Building Code as a prerequisite to secure its approval, officials have said.
The process will cover the existing, under-construction, and planned structures built around Dhaka over the years, including Basila, Dhaka Udyan, Tarabo, Savar, and Matuail, which fall under its jurisdiction but have been expanded without permission.
Currently, Rajuk has no information about how many buildings have been constructed in these areas.
The eight regions of Rajuk, covering 1,528 sq-km, comprise Dhaka, Narayanganj, Savar, Keraniganj and Gazipur areas. Rajuk is planning to exclude Gazipur and expand its jurisdiction to the Meghna River in the east of Dhaka and the Padma Bridge in the west.
Rajuk Director (Development-1) Samsul Haque said when the city authorities started development activities in 2008, the population of Dhaka was much less. But its responsibility and coverage area were greater than its capacity.
“As a result, monitoring the buildings and housing areas became difficult. During this time, many unauthorized multi-storey buildings and housing societies were established.
“But now the number of inspectors and other staff engaged in monitoring has also increased. Several housing societies have already been identified in Savar, Matuail, Basila, and Dhaka Udyan. Those who did not secure Rajuk's approval will be given the scope to seek approval in line with the DAP,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
The Rajuk official also noted that they were working to make a list of buildings after verifying the capacity and fire safety measures and assessing earthquake resilience under the World Bank-funded Urban Resilience Project.
Rajuk Chairman Md Anisur Rahman Miah told Dhaka Tribune that Rajuk was carrying out different activities to prepare the capital and surrounding areas to face disasters like earthquakes.
“For example, the height of a building in an area is now being determined according to soil test results, the width of the road, and population density. So no one can build multi-storey buildings as per their whim. We are implementing some new ideas, but the full implementation will take more time,” he added.