Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday directed authorities concerned to allocate government land in the capital to lawmakers who do not have any piece of land of their own in the city.
The directive came at the weekly cabinet meeting held at Bangladesh Secretariat with the prime minister in the chair, according to highly placed sources.
The legislators will have to apply for land following certain procedures.
The premier told the meeting that there is specific provision for giving allocation of government land to public representatives if they do not have any under their name.
State Minister for Housing and Public Works Abdul Mannan Khan told The Daily Star last night that he briefed the cabinet about land allocations in Purbachal and Uttara Phase-3 projects under Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha.
Although allocation of land under the two projects has been completed, Rajuk could squeeze in a few more plots for lawmakers if the government decides to do so.
Hasina wanted to know from the state minister whether all lawmakers have land allocations. In response, the state minister said legislators, who do not have land in the capital and have applied for land, received allocations.
The premier then asked the state minister to allocate land for the ones who do not have any in the city, sources said.
"Those [lawmakers] who don't have any land should apply for government land immediately," a cabinet minister quoted the premier as saying.
The prime minister also praised the state minister for proper management in allocating land in Purbachal and Uttara projects.
Cabinet sources said most lawmakers have land in the capital and a small number of them do not have or did not apply for any land in the capital. They said lawmakers, mostly the ones elected for the first time, did not apply for plots in Purbachal New Town Project and Uttara Model Town Phase-3.