Landowners threaten Rajuk shutdown over DAP amendment demands

The Dhaka City Landowners Association has issued a stern warning that they will shut down the operations of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) within seven working days unless the "controversial" Detailed Area Plan (DAP) is amended and the Building Construction Rules 2008 are restored.

The ultimatum came during a demonstration today (20 May), where thousands of landowners and engineers from different parts of the capital besieged the Rajuk headquarters for over four hours, from 9:15am to 1:30pm. 

The protest aimed to press their demands and express their deep dissatisfaction with Rajuk's current policies.

During the demonstration, participants voiced numerous grievances, alleging widespread arbitrariness, corruption, irregularities, and bribery within Rajuk. 

They specifically called for the resignation of Rajuk Chairman and DAP Project Director Ashraful Islam. 

Landowners accused urban planners of obstructing DAP amendments, suspecting they are siding with certain businessmen of the housing sector.

Professor Dr Dewan MA Sajjad, convener of the Dhaka City Landowners Association, said, "Today, several thousand landowners peacefully surrounded Rajuk merely as a warning. If our demands are not met, a much tougher movement will follow."

Landowner Tanvirul Islam warned of a hunger strike in front of Rajuk if the "discriminatory DAP" is not cancelled. 

He emphasised the need to scrap the DAP, which he claims is destroying agricultural land, water bodies, and causing environmental disaster. 

"We will not leave the road if our demands are not met," he said.

Aminur Rahman, another landowner, criticised the hasty and "illegal" publication of DAP 2022-2035. 

He alleged it was implemented under the supervision of the LGRD Ministry, bypassing the Public Works Ministry, and was detrimental to national interests by deliberately stripping away the right to construct buildings in Dhaka. 

Rahman highlighted the extreme inequality it created among city dwellers regarding building construction, leading to a rapid decrease in agricultural land and floodplains.

Ejaz Khan, a landowners' leader, accused "opportunistic urban planners" from a previous government of advocating for the "discriminatory" DAP, suggesting they are attempting to evict citizens from Dhaka.

Liza, co-coordinator of the association, expressed frustration over the unheeded pleas. 

"We have approached various offices many times and submitted applications, but no one is listening to our cries," she lamented. 

"Despite owning land, we are being deprived of our fundamental right to build housing."

The association claims that the new DAP disproportionately benefits certain elite neighborhoods like Dhanmondi, Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, and Uttara, while reducing permissible building height and area by almost 50% in the rest of the city. This, they argue, is causing landowners to lose interest in construction, leading to deteriorating neighbourhoods with narrow roads, old structures, and unsafe vacant lots—often becoming hotspots for drug use and illicit activities.

Some key demands of the Dhaka City Land Owners Association (DCLOA) include-

• Cancelling discriminatory and inconsistent DAP (2022–2035)
• Withdrawing the DAP that was formulated in violation of the Wetland Conservation Act
• Reinstating the right to construct buildings under the 2008 Building Construction Rules
• Ensuring a minimum road width of 20 feet throughout Dhaka city
• Guaranteeing equal building height rights based on previous regulations
• Rejecting environmentally damaging and agriculture-destroying planning policies
• Ensuring housing for future generations and a discrimination-free urban policy