The cabinet committee to review and finalise the Detailed Area Plan of the capital was reconstituted yesterday, with Housing and Public Works Minister Mosharraf Hossain as its convener.
LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, convener of the present cabinet committee formed in February, as well as the previous one, was dropped from the committee.
As a result, the number of committee members has now come down to six from seven.
Mosharraf was joint convener of the committee previously.
According to a Cabinet Division order issued on Tuesday, the committee members are: Communication Minister Obaidul Quader, Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud, Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan and Land Minister Shamsur Rahman Sharif.
The secretaries of the Water Resources Ministry, Environment and Forest Ministry, Housing and Public Works Ministry and Shipping Ministry, the Roads Division, Bridges Division, Railway Division and Local Government Division will work with the committee as supporting officials. The Housing and Public Works Ministry will provide secretarial support to the committee.
The order stated that the committee would finalise the plan analysing the existing DAP, consulting with the public representatives and looking over public opinions received through its website or directly.
The government announced and decided to implement the DAP to resolve problems related to housing, water-logging and traffic congestion in Dhaka, as well as to protect the wetlands, water reservoirs, canals and low-lying areas from land grabbers.
The cabinet committee was formed on June 27, 2010 for the first time, after the Housing and Public Works Ministry had announced the DAP on June 22.
The existing DAP’s tenure will end next year, and a new DAP will be announced for the next 20 years.
A total area of 590sq-km has been covered in the DAP, including the northern part of Gazipur municipal area, Dhaleswari River in the south, Bongshi and Dhaleswari rivers in the west, and Shitalakkhya and Meghna rivers and a part of Sonargaon upazila in the east.
Narayanganj, Kadam Rasul, Sidhwirganj, Tarabo, Savar, Tongi and Gazipur municipals, Savar EPZ, Keraniganj, Jinjira and parts of Rupganj and Kaliganj have also been added to the DAP, as well as the two city corporations in the capital.
The area has been divided into 17 zones.
The previous DAP review committee received several applications from people as well as housing companies, of which some were accepted, some rejected and the rest still pending.
