The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) has completed only 71% construction work of Uttara Residential Model Town’s third-phase project in the last 13 years.
Rajuk high officials said out of a total of 8,295 plots, they have handed over about 4,000 plots to the owners and they would transfer the rest before the deadline of December 2014.
The roads in and around the project have already been built while construction of 12 bridges, digging of 9 km lake and utility service connection are well underway, said the officials.
The Rajuk website also shows that sector-15, 16 and 18 of the project have been developed while sector-17 is in progress.
However, a visit of this correspondent found only the main roads to be complete. Moreover, construction of the bridges and digging of the lake were going on. As for the utility facilities only electric polls were set up in the sector 15.
An official of the Rajuk said the rest of the project work could not be completed by December 2014. The project started in 1999-2000.
After about 12 years since the names of plot winners were declared, Rajuk started handing over the plots of the Uttara Model Town’s third-phase project in the year of 2011.
Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) Sheikh Hasina approved the project in May 2000.
Rajuk started land acquisition in the year of 2000-2001 and acquired a total of 812.8 hectares of land. The construction began in 2004.
Rajuk officials alleged that the project was going at a slow pace because of frequent changes of Rajuk’s high officials, plans, interference of ministers and MPs, indiscipline and objection of local people protesting land acquisition.
Project Director Firoj Ahmed said: “We have already handed over almost 50% plots to the owners and soon the rest will be transferred after construction of roads and bridges and utility services such as electricity, gas and water supply line,” he said.
When asked about the delay Firoj Ahmed said the main barrier is case filed by the people affected by land acquisition. For the same reason the Uttara Model Town’s first and second phase took long time to complete, he added.
Another official of Rajuk said the Uttara Model Town project started in 1966 and was completed in 1992. The development work of the second phase started in 1992 and was completed in 1998.
