Bangladesh News

The government yesterday published Building Construction Rules-2008 allowing highest 67.5 percent of a plot of land for constructing buildings.

Under the new rule, which is amended Building Construction Rules-2007, owners of up to two kathas of land will be allowed to use highest 67.5 percent of their plot of land to construct a building, an official of the Department of Architecture said.

They would have to construct building leaving 0.8 metre space at the edges instead of the previous one metre, he added.

The changes were made as small landowners had been expressing dissatisfaction over the Building Construction Rules-2007, an official of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) said.

According to the new rules, owners, who have two-three kathas of land, will be able to use 65 percent of the land for construction. Owners of three-five kathas will be able to use 62.5 percent of the land, owners of five-nine kathas 60 percent, owners of nine-12 kathas 57.5 percent, owners of 12-14 kathas 55 percent, owner of 14-18 kathas 52.5 percent, and owners of 18 kathas and above will be able to use 50 percent of the land for constructing their structures.

The new rules allow owners, who constructed their buildings according to the old rules, to internally modify their buildings leaving alone the length, width, height and total floor space of buildings.

The new rules say that an owner constructing a building under the Key Point Installation or Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh height-restricted area would be able to use all the land after leaving the minimum space around the building. The ground coverage rule of constructing buildings will not be applicable for them.

The One-window Cell, a cell that allowed people to have all permits from one place under the Building Construction Rules-2007, has been removed. A special cell similar to the One-window Cell will be set up for special building projects only.

Land owners, who want to construct high-rise buildings, would have to get all the permits from different government agencies, said an official of Rajuk.

The amendment has been made in line with suggestions of the sub-committee of Urban Development Committee of Rajuk, formed on September 26, 2007 to review the rules, said sources in the committee.