As the authority that oversees the development of our capital city, Rajuk certainly has a big responsibility when it comes to ensuring the safety and security of citizens. While the administrative body has certainly been fairly active in investigating establishments after the devastating fire in Bailey Road last week, had Rajuk been more pro-active in its approach than reactive, such tragedies could have been avoided altogether.
As far as administrations go, Rajuk has had a historic problem with corruption. In fact, a recent Dhaka Tribune report exposed that even employees who operate at relatively lower rungs of the government organization own numerous multi-storied buildings and expensive cars despite their inadequate monthly salaries.
According to yet another Dhaka Tribune report from a year ago, a daily wage worker at Rajuk -- during the construction of Rajuk Trade Centre in the capital's Khilkhet in 2002 -- reportedly took over at least 20 shops using the influence of the general secretary of the employees' union and soon enough had become the owner of multiple plots in Purbachal and Jhilmil.
These are deeply troubling revelations which, once again, confirms a culture of corruption and bribery endemic within our governance and administrative ranks.
We have always maintained that needless bureaucracy and corruption have long hamstrung our institutions from being able to fulfill their duties towards the public. While it is good to know that Rajuk is now actively seeking a list of establishments given permission in Dhaka, it is perhaps the agency’s abject corruption which allowed incidents such as the Bailey Road fire to occur in the first place.
Dhaka’s urbanization has long-been called out for its unplanned nature, and organizations such as Rajuk are indirectly in charge of public safety by ensuring that buildings are up to code. Unless and until it recognizes its corruption problems in a meaningful way, our safety will always be in jeopardy.