The government has decided to appoint three consultant firms for drawing up another 20-year detailed area plan (DAP) for Dhaka city under the Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan (DMDP) project.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase approved the proposal, placed by the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, yesterday at a meeting headed by Finance Minister AMA Muhith.
Later at a press briefing, Joint Secretary of Cabinet Division Mustafizur Rahman said the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) proposed the names of consultant firms at the meeting to prepare the new DAP for an area of over 1,500sq-km of the city – with an estimated cost of around Tk33 crore – for the period of 2016-2035, as the tenure of the current DAP expires this year.
The cabinet committee approved Rajuk’s proposal of appointing the Sheltech (Pvt) Limited and the Decode Limited to jointly prepare DAP for 753sq-km area of the city, and the Development Design Consultants Limited for 764sq-km area, dividing the city along the New Airport Road.
The government will pay around Tk12.99 crore for each part, the cabinet joint secretary said.
All three firms have worked with Rajuk in development projects in 2013, said Sheikh Abdul Mannan, board member for planning at Rajuk.
Both the capital’s development authorities and the Ministry of Housing and Public Works will work closely with the firms on the new DAP, he added.
The first DAP for the capital was published as gazette in July 2010.
The current DAP includes provisos to reclaim more than 10sq-km of low-lying areas and agricultural land from the grip of illegal property developers, as well as relocate 3,000 industries and scrap 16 development projects.
According to experts, over 100 real estate companies have illegally developed projects by destroying conservable flood plains, retention areas, rivers, farmlands and rural homesteads in and around the capital.
‘Sheltech’s appointment not a good idea’
Environment lawyer Syeda Rizwana Hasan said appointing Sheltech to prepare part of the new DAP would cause a conflict of interest.
“The government announced before that there was a problem with the current DAP. Sheltech was of the consultant firm that prepared that DAP,” she told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
“Besides, Sheltech’s chairman is the president of the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh [REHAB], which creates a conflict of interest,” she said.