Housing rules might be eased

The cabinet committee on the capital's Detailed Area Plan (DAP) yesterday formed a subcommittee to review permissible limits for land use in the plan to accommodate housing projects, most of which are illegal now.
A press release of the housing and public works ministry, citing its minister, said real estate development and housing business in and around the capital have slowed down due to restrictions on land use as per the  DAP.
Making the DAP realistic has become an immediate necessity to resolve the problem, Housing Minister Engr Mosharraf Hossain told a meeting of the cabinet committee.
The subcommittee will be headed by Land Minister Shamsur Rahman Sharif. Other members of the subcommittee are the environment and forest minister and secretary, land secretary, local government secretary, housing secretary, director generals of environment department and water development board and the chairman of Rajuk.
The last Awami League-led grand alliance government had formed the cabinet committee on DAP composed of seven ministers, led by the local government minister, for a “final review” of the DAP. The plan, though, was finalised twice by some designated technical experts led by noted civil engineer Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury. It was published in an official gazette in mid 2010.        
Over 100 realtors have illegally developed projects across a 1,528-square kilometre area of the city's master plan, destroying conservable floodplains, retention areas, rivers, farmlands and rural homesteads in and around the capital.
Urban planners have recently expressed concern that most of the conservable wetlands in the DAP area have been destroyed, which has contributed to impending environmental disasters.     
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, said there was no scope to incorporate any amendment or revision in the DAP by contradicting the master plan of Dhaka.
The realtors which have changed the use and character of conservable wetland must be brought to justice, she mentioned.