Building tilts, another shows cracks for high-rise construction illegally

A real estate developer has started the construction of a 16-story building in Rajshahi city without approval of the Rajshahi Development Authority (RDA) three months ago.

The incident came to light only after an adjoining three-story house tilted and cracks developed on another, forcing the residents of the tilted building to evacuate. However, RDA is now going to approve this building.

Due to shore piling for the high-rise without safety measures by the developer, Barendra Real Estate and Housing, the adjacent land subsided causing the three-story building to tilt, while cracks developed on adjacent one-story building two months ago.

Affected residents alleged that RDA ignored their complaints until police and fire service men evacuated dwellers of the tilted building, and the High Court issued an injunction on the construction in early November. 

The developer started digging a 20-foot deep pit during monsoon with inadequate shore protection measures, putting the adjoining structures at risk.

Farhan Shahriar Khan, one of the owners of the affected three-story house, said, "On the evening of October 7, we noticed that our building tilted eastward (towards the pit) creating a three-inch gap between our building and a four-story neighbouring one, while both were actually attached." “We were alarmed,” he said. 

On the same day, Shahriar's eldest brother Md Delwar Hossain Khan filed a general diary with police complaining of the incident.

Delwar and Shahriar's another brother Md Belal Hossain Khan left the building along with families, as police and fire officials on a visit to the site said the house might not be safe for dwelling and asked them to vacate the building. “I along with my wife still stay there, as I could not find any alternative place,” said Shahriar.

RDA Authorised Officer Abul Kalam Azad admitted that the developer was doing the shore piling without approval. “They started digging the foundation pit during the rainy season without sufficient safety protection. As a result, some of the neighbours were affected,” he said.  He said RDA sent a notice to the building developer asking them to stop the foundation work. “We had nothing else to do, as the court imposed an injunction at the site,” he said.

Mentioning that the Building Construction Act empowered RDA to go for legal action to stop any unauthorised construction and that the court did not prevent them from doing so, Azad said, “There was no scope in the law to go for any further action with an injunction in place.”

Records, however, show that the affected house owner filed a formal complaint with RDA in early October. As no effective action was taken to stop the illegal construction, the house owner obtained a court injunction a month later. Azad said the developer had already got the injunction vacated from the High Court. “We are examining the HC order and will approve the building if there is no bar.”

He admitted that random illegal building construction was going on in the city, adding that they had so far filed 52 cases in this connection.

Md Shahidullah Shelu, chairman of Barendra Real Estate and Housing, said, “We started the construction work without approval, as we were in a hurry.” 

He said the building would house a clinic and diagnostic centre; it was a joint venture with an Indian company.

When contacted, RDA Chairman Bazlar Rahman expressed his surprise. "Is anyone constructing a 16-storey building without approval?” he asked.

However, Sub-inspector Nasir Ahmed of Boalia Police Station said they officially informed the RDA chairman of the illegal construction on October 8.