Rajuk served a notice in April this year to the illegal commercial occupiers of residential buildings in the city's designated residential areas including Dhanmondi and Gulshan, asking them to stop commercial activities in those buildings within two months.

The notice was served to restaurants, colleges and universities, hospitals and garment factories being run illegally in residential buildings. Rajuk was supposed to go for eviction if they failed to vacate the residential buildings within the deadline.

Competent sources said under pressure from a certain influential quarter, the authorities concerned cannot not go for next course of action.

Noted environmentalist Prof Muzaffer Ahmad said that it is likely that entrepreneurs and beneficiaries of the illegal commercial activities in residential areas have relations and connections with those who have stalled the process.

Road no-2, 27 and Satmasjid Road in Dhanmondi residential area have been made commercial zone to serve the interests of some vested quarters.

Different forums of local community in Dhanmondi placed their demands for removal of unauthorised commercial set-ups in the residential area to different ministries at different times. But it has not yet made any difference, said Prof Ahmad.

Dhaka City Corporation is responsible for trade licences, education ministry for approval of educational institutions and health ministry for hospitals and clinics. The authorities must play their respective role to address the menace, he said.

"We can only appeal to the authorities," Prof Ahmad said. "We suffer congestion every day because of schools and colleges in the morning and clinics in the afternoon."

Top Rajuk officials, when asked, declined to comment on the issue.

Unauthorised offices, shops, restaurants, private universities, hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres, shopping malls and other non-residential set-ups at residential buildings have destroyed the very residential character of the areas including Dhanmondi.

These areas experience traffic congestion, noise pollution and public nuisance every day mostly because of the unauthorised commercial activities.

Rajuk served the notices to vacate the unauthorised commercial and non-residential set-ups, but interestingly Rajuk itself allowed these establishments in residential buildings.

It also allowed certain internal roads of residential areas to be used commercially.

Residents of Dhanmondi, Gulshan and Banani have long been struggling to liberate them from the clutch of rampant illegal commercialisation of these residential areas.

Leaders of Dhanmondi Poribesh Unnayan Jote on several occasions demanded of the government to free their residential area from raging commercialisation by relocating huge number of educational institutions, hospitals and clinics.

In the beginning, according to the Jote leaders, the 473-acre Dhanmondi area was absolutely residential in 1952. A total of 1083 plots were allotted in the residential district. But in the face of growing population, it was declared a mixed zone in 1995.

The government declared Mirpur Road, Satmasjid Road, Dhanmondi Road no-27 and 2 as commercial areas through various administrative orders during 1985-96.

According to the Jote's survey in February last, there are 200 campuses of various private universities, colleges and English medium schools in the area including 96 school campuses, 35 colleges and 45 university campuses.

Besides, there are 24 coaching centres, 12 restaurants, 26 shopping malls, 24 hospitals, 56 clinics and 32 diagnostic centres.

Educational institutions set up indiscriminately here and there are the principle reason behind nightmarish traffic congestion in the residential area, they said.

There are innumerable cases of unauthorised commercial uses of residential buildings by private universities, boutique shops, schools, warehouse, clubs, beauty parlour and other business houses in the core residential areas of Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara.