Dhaka: Planners have warned that canceling or postponing the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) 2022 in response to pressure from a “vested group” would be catastrophic for Dhaka city. Say planners, urge for reforms if needed.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, they acknowledged that while the DAP has its flaws, these can be reformed.
However, they criticised Rajuk’s weak governance, which they believe is succumbing to pressure from vested interests, thereby threatening the goal of building a sustainable city.
No plan is without error, and Dhaka’s DAP has both strengths and weaknesses. Correcting it is part of the planning process. However, vested interests are fighting desperately to scrap the existing DAP, and this cannot be allowed in the new Bangladesh, the planners said.
At a stakeholder meeting held at Rajuk on September 1, real estate and housing businessmen strongly demanded the cancellation of the DAP and the approval of building construction as per the Building Construction Rules of 2008.
“It is unfortunate,” said Adil Mohammed Khan, president of the BIP.
“Dhaka has already lost much of its habitability. Canceling the current DAP and reverting to previous plans would destroy any chance of preventing further decline in the city’s livability. A group of architects and engineers from Rajuk are also opposing the DAP, and it is crucial to investigate the involvement of vested interests behind this opposition,” he added.
Planner Shahriar Amin said the nation’s progress is reflected in its approach to planning.
He highlighted discrimination within government institutions, where the underrepresentation of planners hampers the effectiveness of plans.
Planner Salma A Shafi said uncontrolled construction is rampant in Dhaka. She underscored the need for stringent land-use controls.
Sajid Iqbal, student of urban and regional planning department at Jahangirnagar University, argued that the DAP itself reflects the broader issue of discrimination — not just among people, but also towards cities and nature.
“Abolishing the DAP will not solve this disparity. Instead, we should begin by rescuing apartment buildings meant for low-income people from self-interested individuals and returning them to their intended beneficiaries,” he suggested.
Yasir Amin, another student of urban and regional planning department, said, “Whenever irregularities or problems arise in the city, unplanned urbanisation is blamed, but the real culprits are self-interested businessmen who obstruct planned urbanisation. People needs to be made aware of this.”
He urged journalists to investigate why the DAP, created in 2016, has not been implemented even after eight years.
Additionally, he called for the government to publish the master plans for all regions of the country in the form of a gazette as soon as possible.