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Download PDF A vast swath of expensive land in the posh section of Banani in the capital, popularly known as ‘BNP Palli’ (BNP village), is bristling with under construction multi-storey residential buildings although Rajdhani Unnayan Katripakkha (Rajuk) claims that it suspended the process of plot allotment there.
Most of the allottees there happen to be former ministers, state ministers and lawmakers of BNP.
Mizanur Rahman Minu, mayor of Rajshahi, and Mujibor Rahman Sarowar, mayor of Barisal, are now next-door neighbours. Houses of former BNP state ministers Alamgir Kabir of Naogaon, and Prof Razaul Karim of Narayanganj are also next to each other in ‘Banani BNP Palli’.
Despite Rajuk’s claim of suspending the process of allotment, the construction work is going on at a fast pace because most of the once high and mighty allottees, many of whom are in preventive detentions right now, already have land registrations to their names.
A number of the allottees had other real estates in the city before getting plots in ‘Banani BNP Palli’, which is in violation of Rajuk rules.
Engineer AKM Harun, chairman of Rajuk, said they have yet to cancel the allotments.
“We just stopped the process of the file movement regarding the allotments,” he told The Daily Star.
Rajuk registered the plots to the allottees in 2005 soon after those had been allotted under direct supervision and decision of Mirza Abbas, former housing and public works minister, currently in detention.
Only 10 months ago the valuable land was flat but now it is divided into 50 five-katha plots, a half of which have buildings under construction on them. It is a virtual development blitz in the small pocket of Banani, just opposite the NAM apartments facing the lake, which has dramatically transformed the once serene horizon of the area in the last ten months.
During a visit to ‘Banani BNP Palli’ last week this correspondent found most of the construction workers busy and tight-lipped, some of whom were bending iron rods, some were mixing sand, cement and brick bats to make concrete, some were hitting nails on wood planks or bamboos.
Siddique, a manager of workers on the construction site of former state minister for liberation war affairs Prof Rezaul Karim’s building, said they have been working there for a few months. They have already completed three storeys of the planned six-storey building. The building of Asadul Habib Dulu already has already six storeys completed. Alamgir Kabir’s building has three storeys completed, Fazlur Rahman Patal’s have all the six storeys completed, and the construction of the two mayors’ buildings just started.
The owners of the buildings have not been visiting the construction sites for more than a month now due to an ‘uncomfortable environment’ for them created by the current interim government’s rather unprecedented drive against alleged corrupt politicians.
Only, Moniruzzaman Mia, former member of the Anti-corruption Commission and former vice-chancellor of Dhaka University, visited his site a couple of days ago.
Mia and some other allottees hired developers to construct their buildings. Some of the buildings constructed by the developers are already habitable with some of the apartments already sold.
“Rajuk registered the land to me in 2005. It cost me a total of 55,00,000 taka to get the land registered. I deserve the land as I don’t have any other piece of land in this world,” Moniruzzaman Mia told The Daily Star.
When asked what will happen to the land since the owners have already contracted developers to construct buildings there, the Rajuk chairman could not give an answer.
“You just write we have suspended the official process of plot allotment. But we have yet to obstruct the construction work,” said the Rajuk chairman.
Out of the 50 plots, five were allotted to ministers, 10 to state ministers, two to mayors, 24 to BNP lawmakers and two others to Awami League and Jatiya Party lawmakers. Besides, a former vice-chancellor, a former adviser to the foreign ministry, son of the president, a sister-in-law of former housing minister Mirza Abbas, and three businessmen known to be close to Hawa Bhaban also got plots there.
Mirza Abbas influenced the Rajuk authorities to allot a plot to his brother’s wife Masuda Akaram, according to sources.
Former ministers who got plots at ‘Banani BNP Palli’ are Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Tariqul Islam, Abdullah Al Noman, and Hafizuddin Ahmed.
Deputy Speaker Akhter Hamid Siddique also got a plot there, who holds the status of a minister,
The lucky former state ministers are Almgir Kabir, Fazlur Rahman Patal, Barkatullah Bulu, Lutfar Rahman Khan Azad, Mir Moammed Nasiruddin, ANM Ehsanul Haq Milon, Lutfozzaman Babar, Selima Rahman, Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu, and Asadul Habib Dulu.
Mojibur Rahmn Sarowar, mayor of Barisal and Mizanur Rahman Minu, mayor of Rajshahi, also have plots there.
Imtiaz Ahmed, son of President Iajuddin Ahmed, Mofikul Hasan Tripty, BNP’s central office secretary who is known as very close to Hawa Bhaban, Ahsan Habib from Narshingdi, Hasan Reza, a businessman, and Reaz Rahman, a former adviser to the foreign ministry also got plots in ‘Banani BNP Palli’.
Former BNP lawmakers who got plots there are M Naser Rahman, son of former finance minister Saifur Rahman, Major (retd) Sayeed Eskander, brother of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, Shahidul Islam, Moshiur Rahman, Shahidul Alam Talukder, Shajahan Chowdhruy, Mojibor Rahman Monzu, Md Hafiz Ibrahim, Nazim Uddin Alam, M Ilias Ali, Fazlul Haq Milon, Moazzem Hossain Alal, Abul Hossain Khan, Abdul Hai, Abul Khayer Bhuiyan, Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee, Alamgir Haider Khan, Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, Salahuddin Ahmed, Kabir Hossain, Nadim Mostafa, Khairul Kabir Khokon, late Shamsuddin Ahmed Eshak, and Habibul Islam Habib.
Former lawmakers Hafizuddin Ahmed of Thakurgaon from Jatiya Party, and Hamida Banu Shova of Nilphamari from Awami League also got plots there.
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