Rajuk plans tough action
Rajuk will identify the unauthorised buildings in the capital's Begunbari area and demolish the risky ones, Rajuk officials said.
There are about 20 buildings in the area that have been erected without any permission, said Rajuk's Authorised Officer-2 Shafiqul Islam.
The tin-built structures built along the new Hatirjheel-Begunbari road too are illegal, he said.
On June 1, collapse of a five-storey building constructed without permission claimed 25 lives.
Shafiqul Islam said many illegal three-storey tin-built houses were demolished earlier during a drive there but they were rebuilt again. "We will take action against the structures as per the rules within a month."
Chairman of Rajuk Md Nurul Huda said government has formed a committee headed by the chief engineer of Rajuk to identify the risky buildings of Dhaka city.
The committee will start their work tomorrow and they will identify risky buildings in Begunbari area, he said.
“We will take action as per the report of the committee,” he said.
The most risky buildings will be identified first and demolished.
The other members of the committee are representatives of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Fires Service and Civil Defence, Buet, Department of Public Works and Dhaka City Corporation, he said.
Residents of these houses are mostly poor people who cannot afford the rent of comparatively safer houses or areas.
Mokbul Hossain, a rickshaw puller who has been living in Begunbari for over one year, said he has no other option but to live there since he would not be able to afford anything elsewhere for Tk 1,600.
Landlords get Tk 1,500 to Tk 2,200 for a room that is tiny even for a small family. They get Tk 2,500 to Tk 3,000 for a small room of a building and Tk 3,500 to Tk 4,000 for comparatively larger rooms, he said.
Johra, a resident of Madhya Begunbari, said she lives in a small room in a three-storey tin-built house for Tk 1,500 with her three children and husband.
She said the room is so small that if a bed is placed, there is no room left for anything else. She said the tin-built house has around 200 such rooms with three common bathrooms, one female and two male.
"We have to wait around one hour to use the bathroom as the number of residents of a house is over 1,000," she said.
Sheuli, another resident of a similar tin-built house, said they pay Tk 1,700 for a room in which seven people live.
Fish trader Joj Mia said he knows that it is very risky to live in those houses built with tin and bamboos on a canal.
A fire broke out at Begunbari on January 8 last. Now the landowner is building another tin house.
Asked why they build tin houses, Shahnaj Begum said Rajuk does not give approval of plans to construct buildings there and they build the tin houses to keep the land in their possession.
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