A parliamentary body has decided that the government should try to reach a compromise with 343 businessmen, who have been running businesses in the Gulistan Shopping Complex without paying rent to the Muktijoddha Kalyan Trust.
At a meeting yesterday, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Liberation War Affairs Ministry formed a three-member sub-committee tasked with negotiating with the businessmen.
According a report of the ministry placed before the watchdog, at least 733 businessmen have signed deals with the Muktijoddha Kalyan Trust – the freedom fighters welfare trust – to pay monthly rent for the spaces on the shopping complex. But 343 of them have been running business for years without paying a single penny to the trust.
AB Tajul Islam, chairman of the committee, said: “It will be almost impossible to collect the due rents for so many months. They may now claim that they started business one or two months ago and refuse to pay the dues.”
He also said: “So, it would be better if we can make them agree to start paying rents from next month. The most difficult challenge is to make the errant businessmen come to an agreement with the trust.”
Nurun Nabi Chowdhury is the head of the sub-committee and the two other members are Asheq Ullah Rafiq and Swapan Bhattacharjee.
The businessmen have alleged that a local Jubo League leader has been collecting money from the 343 businessmen, depriving the trust.
According to an agreement, construction company Western Engineers will construct the 20-storey building and sell possessions to the businessmen, who will pay rent to the trust every month.
So far, eight floors have been completed and the structure for four more has been erected. The agreement says the company should have completed the construction by 2011.
The businessmen say one square foot space in the mall costs at least Tk25,000.
Yesterday, while reviewing the construction of the shopping mall at the heart of capital city, the parliamentary committee also observed that any fire incident at the complex might result in huge casualty.
“The shopping complex is like a warehouse, with very few outlets. In case of any fire, huge casualty will occur. There is a massive fault in the design,” said Tajul, a former state minister of the Liberation War Affairs Ministry.
