A city in itself set to dot Dhaka horizon
The northern horizon of Dhaka City is going to see a lot of changes as Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) is developing its most ambitious residential project yet in a nine-square-kilometre vast wetland in Uttara.
Once the project is fully implemented, commuters will also notice significant changes in the communication between the central and northern parts of the city.
Under the new project, 20km from the Zero Point of Dhaka City, vast wetland just behind the botanical garden beside the Mirpur flood protection embankment is being filled up dividing each residential sector into multiple blocks.
Rajuk authorities said almost 30 percent space is being reserved for road network while space is also being saved for various facilities needed in a modern satellite town--schools, colleges and private universities, clinics and hospitals, shopping malls and kitchen markets, mosques, temples and churches, Eidgahs and graveyards.
Moreover, considering future development of Dhaka City, Rajuk has allocated land for underground railway, monorail and bus terminals. The authorities will construct a new major road to connect the northern and southern parts of the city as a substitute for the Airport Road.
"We are trying to build the area in a way so that people living there will not need to come to the main city often--they will get everything they need over there. We are careful so that our new project does not increase traffic congestion," said Nurul Islam, Uttara third phase project director.
"We are planning in a way so that the residential area does not turn into a commercial area in the future like Dhanmondi," he said.
Rajuk started the project beside the Uttara second phase in 1999, targeting a project cost of Tk 20,440 million. The authorities have already earned Tk 4,139 million by selling 922 five-katha plots at Tk 20 lakh each and 1,530 three-katha plots at Tk 15 lakh each.
A total of 8,285 plots were allocated in 2006 under the huge residential project.
However, allocation of 897 plots was stayed on the allegation of nepotism. Of them, the authorities have given back 300 plots to their allottees after clearance following taskforce investigation.
About 2,000 plots have been allotted to those whose land was acquired for the project while 20 percent plots (around 800) have been reserved for the housing and public works ministry and Rajuk officials and employees, said Rajuk sources.
Rajuk authorities estimated the projected population at the new satellite town at five lakhs with a density of 240 persons per acre. The area of the town is around 2008 acres.
THE WORK
About 100 pipes--most of them nearly 20,000 feet long--can be seen lying across the Mirpur flood protection embankment from the Turag river, discharging sand and mud into the vast wetland to fill it up.
The narrow Turag river is now buzzing with activities near Ashulia as many sand carrying barges are anchored there.
"The work is going on in full swing. We could do our work even faster but there is very little room in the Turag for the sand carrying barges," said Project Director Nurul Islam.
"We hope to start handing over the private plots at the end of 2009," he added.
Locals said a huge number of barges loaded with sand and mud are coming from the Meghna to the Turag near Biruliaghat point.
The site development work of sector 15 has already been completed while the work for sectors 1, 14, 16, 17 and 18 is almost done.
According to Rajuk sources, only 24 percent of the town's space is allocated as residential plots, 11 percent for high-rise apartments, 30.92 percent for roads, 3.04 percent for physical and social infrastructure, 13 percent for lakes, open space and parks, 5.89 percent for commercial plots, 2 percent for utility services, 1.67 percent for educational institutions and 3 percent for playgrounds.
"There will be 40 neighbourhoods in the area...It is going to be the best residential area in the city," said the project director, adding, that there will be 11 bridges on the lakes in the town.
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