Building-rule violations turn Ctg's approved plans into paper formalities, worsen urban misery

Construction in Chattogram is increasingly deviating from approved building plans, with residential buildings converted into hospitals and commercial establishments, parking spaces turned into shops, and structures altered after approval.

Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) data show 30,337 plans were approved between 2009 and 2025 – 15,437 through Authorised Officer-1 and 14,900 through Authorised Officer-2. Yet around half of the buildings deviated from approved plans, CDA officials said.

They said the CDA is conducting drives against irregularities. 

The violations are worsening congestion and creating fire-safety and emergency-access risks. In Mehedibag, Aristocare Hospital operates in a residential-approved building without required land-use clearance and Department of Environment approval.

Parts of the building also deviate from the approved plan and have inadequate parking. 

Similar violations were found during CDA inspections at Epic, National, Lancet and Ibn Sina hospitals, and the Hamdard Building in Chawkbazar.

Hospitals operating beyond approved use

At Epic Hospital, an unauthorised lift has been added to a residential-approved building, while shops occupy parking and driveway areas. 

At National Hospital, 50 parking spaces were approved, but only 28 were found, and its only fire escape was blocked with waste. Director Abu Naser did not respond to calls or a WhatsApp message.

At Lancet Hospital, part of the parking area has been converted into a canteen and medicine shop despite the building's residential approval. The hospital also lacks adequate alternative fire-safety and emergency-exit arrangements.

Managing Director Mohammad Belal told The Business Standard the hospital acknowledges the irregularities, is holding regular meetings with the building's owner to secure proper parking, and is working to remove the snack shops. Lancet rents rather than owns the building, he said, and must comply fully with CDA directives, and hopes for its support in fixing the issues.

Ibn Sina Diagnostic & Consultation Centre is being operated from a building constructed on a residential plot in Chawkbazar without the required approval for hospital use.

Its parking area has no proper management system or markings and can accommodate only two or three vehicles. Cylinders and other materials were also found stored there.

In-charge Shafiqul Islam Khan said the centre actually has space for around 15 vehicles, but it remains mostly empty because most patients arrive by rickshaw or CNG auto-rickshaw.

Shafiqul said the building is rented and that the centre applied to the previous authority for approval in 2019. The application remained pending, but operations began based on assurances from the authority.

Ibn Sina has since reapplied to the CDA and hopes for a favourable outcome, he said.

At the Hamdard Building on Chatteshwari Road, owned by former mayor Rezaul Karim, shops were built in the ground-floor parking area of the six-storey building. The CDA fined the owners Tk2 lakh and ordered the structures removed by November.

Parking disappears, congestion grows

The loss of designated parking is worsening congestion in Chawkbazar, Terry Bazar and Agrabad Jubilee Road as shops and other uses occupy spaces meant for parking, drop-off and vehicle movement.

In a 3 August letter, the Hillview Residential Welfare Association said shops and other commercial establishments occupy 15 plots, while schools and madrasas occupy another 12 without the required CDA and Chattogram City Corporation approvals.

Association President Advocate Md Monirul Alam said five to seven vehicles often arrive where parking is authorised for only one. An earlier warning brought no effective action, prompting the association to approach the authorities.

Outdated rules, weak monitoring 

Experts say the 2008 Building Construction Rules' parking standards have failed to keep pace with rising private car ownership, while approved parking is often not maintained after buildings become operational.

Civic groups also blame weak post-approval monitoring. Shujan Chattogram General Secretary Akhtar Kabir Chowdhury said the CDA must ensure construction follows approved designs.

Authorised Officer Kazi Kader Newaz said building requirements are strictly assessed before approval, but many owners deviate during or after construction.

Engineer Delwar Majumdar, former IEB Chattogram Centre president, pointed towards manpower shortage and called for staged inspections, phased approvals and mandatory occupancy certificates.

The CDA says it conducts mobile courts and acts against violations. Chairman Engineer Belayet Hossain acknowledged that unplanned urbanisation and weak enforcement have bred non-compliance, while authorised officers' lack of magisterial powers limits action.

The CDA plans tougher enforcement, including withholding utility connections. "There will be no leniency in enforcing the law in the public interest," he said.