With the existing Detailed Area Plan (DAP) being nowhere near implemented, the government is going to frame a new DAP for the capital city which is likely to come into force from 2016 onwards.
The existing DAP expires in 2015.
The housing and public works ministry and Rajdhani Unnayan Katripakkha (Rajuk) have already started the preliminary work of preparing the master plan.
Khondakar Showkat Hossain, the public works secretary, and Rajuk’s member (planning) Sheikh Abdul Mannan have confirmed the news to the Dhaka Tribune, saying that the new DAP will be implemented over a period of 20 years, from 2016 to 2035, and will replace the existing one expiring in 2015.
Meanwhile, the government has undertaken a TK210m project for preparing the “structure plan for implementation of the new DAP” as part of the City Region Development Project (CRDP), funded by the Asian Development Bank.
Khondakar Showkat Hossain said through the new DAP the government wants to ensure an environment-friendly and “habitable” Dhaka for the next generation.
“The existing DAP was prepared with a short-term goal to check the unplanned growth of the city. The new one will provide a greater plan of action aimed for the greater Dhaka,” he said.
According to sources, four private companies, two local and two foreign, were given the task of preparing the structure plan. The companies, which started their work in January 2013, are supposed to submit the draft plan by 2014.
Moreover, a Technical Management Committee (TMC) was formed to oversee their work. Rajuk chairman heads the committee which also includes representatives from different utility service providers like Dhaka City Corporation and Dhaka WASA.
Sheikh Abdul Mannan said the new plan will target, among other things, preservation of the rivers surrounding the city, improvement of their navigability, and will recommend building a circular waterway round the city.
The plan also earmarks a number of retention ponds around the city to manage rainwater runoff and help maintain a healthy environment, he said.
