Buildings being built in unplanned way
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Gazipur
Experts at a workshop yesterday alleged that a huge number of infrastructures are being constructed in the city in an unplanned way and without maintaining building code.
Moreover, a large number of migrant workers are forced to live in low-lying slums or unsafe buildings with little or no access to basic services. As an earthquake-prone area, it is crucial for Gazipur to properly follow the safe construction practices.
Gazipur City Corporation authority disclosed this information in a workshop on Safe Construction Practice held its auditorium yesterday. CARE Bangladesh through its local partner organisation Village Education Resource Centre (VERC), in cooperation with Gazipur City Corporation organised the workshop.
In this context, Building Resilience of the Urban Poor (BRUP) project of CARE Bangladesh took the initiative to ensure safe construction practices through the workshop. The main objective of the workshop was to build awareness and promote earthquake and disaster resistant construction technology, follow the building codes and existing laws. Gazipur City Corporation in collaboration with Housing and Building Research Institute (HBRI) provided technical assistance for the workshop. Engineers, urban planners, as well as a number of contractors participated in the workshop.
Chief Executive Officer of Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) KM Rahatul Islam spoke as chief guest in the workshop while director of House Building Research Institute Abu Sadek Prince spoke as special guest.
Gazipur City Corporation authority said Most of the buildings from Joydebpur Chowrasta to Tongi were constructed as residential building, but now those are using as industrial purpose. Among those a number of buildings were built violating the building code, even without any soil test. On the other hand, the buildings that are constructing at present are totally unauthorised as the owners of those buildings are not following the rules of RAJUK. RAJUK is the concerned authority for approving the plan to construct new building in the city area. But city dwellers do not go to RAJUK to approve plans for their building. On the other hand, RAJUK could not monitor these unauthorised building due to crisis of necessary manpower. As a result, Gazipur is now become a vulnerable and hazardous city than Dhaka.
