Commercial, political activities
12,957 buildings get govt notice
STAFF REPORTER
The government has served notices to 12,957 commercial organisations located in residential areas, asking them to shift their establishments within six months. It will evict the establishments after assessing the building owners reply to the notices.
The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) has already identified 552 illegal organisations, including restaurants, hotels, schools, colleges, and hospitals operating in Gulshan and north Dhaka areas. Notices have also been served to the BNP office in Gulshan and the Jatiya Party office in Banani.
The decision was taken at a Cabinet Decision Implementation Committee meeting on commercial establishments operating in city corporation areas, held at the Secretariat yesterday, with Local Government Division secretary Abdul Malek in the chair.
The panel also decided not to renew the trade licences of commercial organisations situated in residential areas and not to issue new licences in these areas either.
In all, 12,957 notices have been served so far. Of these, 3,015 are in Dhaka North City Corporation areas, 1,137 in Dhaka South City Corporation, 2,400 in Rajuk areas, 150 in Chittagong City Corporation areas, 26 in Khulna City Corporation areas, 376 in Gazipur City Corporation areas, 58 in Barisal City Corporation areas, 26 in Sylhet City Corporation areas, five in Narayanganj City Corporation areas and 40 in Comilla Municipality areas.
Besides, the Dhaka Electric Supply Company (DESCO) has served notices to 5,534 establishments, the Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDC) to 112, and the Fire Services Department to 13 establishments. The narcotics department has served 51 notices to bars, clubs, and restaurants.
A representative of the Rajshahi City Corporation informed at the meeting that they were preparing to serve notices to commercial organisations situated in residential areas.
The representative of the civil aviation and tourism ministry said that the decision on 34 four-star and five-star hotels would be taken after discussion with Rajuk.
Not only Gulshan, well address the issue in all areas. Its our duty to implement the Cabinet Divisions decision, Malek said.
On April 4, the Cabinet had asked unauthorised bars, guesthouses, and hotels to be removed from residential areas after giving them a six-month deadline, as proposed by the Local Government Division. The latter had prepared the report after holding meetings with various ministries, including home, housing, and public works ministries, and the Internal Resources Division.
Malek expressed dissatisfaction with the Dhaka deputy commissioner (DC) for not sending a representative to the meeting and directed the official concerned to communicate with him by today regarding the action to be taken against the DC.
Later, Malek left to attend the Purchase Committee meeting, handing the charge of continuing the meeting to additional secretary Jyotirmoy Dutta.
No commercial trade licence will be renewed in residential areas and the existing licences will be cancelled, Dutta told reporters after the meeting.
Rajuk chairman M Bazlul Karim said that at least 552 illegal commercial organisations, including schools, colleges, hospitals and restaurants, were operating in Gulshan and Dhaka North City Corporation areas.
The four recommendations of the Local Government Division included ensuring parking facility in the basement and underground parking in all residential plots.
If these parking areas are used for commercial purposes, Rajuk and the city corporations will jointly act to remove those illegal structures while the city corporations, while the agencies concerned under the housing and public works ministries would take the necessary steps outside Dhaka.
Another recommendation was that the home ministry would take the necessary measures to cancel bar licences in residential areas, remove the structures, and not issue further licences to similar instalments.
Unauthorised guesthouses and hotels would be given six months to remove and shift their businesses. If they failed, the authorities concerned would remove those.
Besides, the trade licences of those organisations would be cancelled and their utility service lines disconnected. The collection of VAT and taxes from unauthorised entities would also be stopped.
Cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said the decision has been taken in order to preserve the characteristics of residential areas amid continuing efforts to build planned cities.
