Question raised over proposed development of WASA’s 114-katha plot in Gulshan

There are still some vacant plots amid the hundreds of buildings in Gulshan, one of the capital’s most affluent areas. One such plot is located on Road 55 in Gulshan-2. The plot measures 114 kathas.

The tree-filled property belongs to Dhaka WASA (Water and Sanitation Authority). A private real estate company has proposed constructing a highly upscale residential building on the land. According to the proposal, after construction, Dhaka WASA would own 51 per cent of the project, while the company would take 49 per cent.

Dhaka WASA has taken the proposal under consideration. A three-member committee has been formed to examine the ownership of the land, its current use, the advantages and disadvantages of the proposal, and its financial aspects. An attempt was also made to hold a meeting and give a favourable opinion on the proposal, but this was not possible because of opposition.

Questions have arisen over the initiative to hand over such a large plot of land in an elite area like Gulshan to the private sector. Relevant people are questioning why a particular private real estate company made the proposal, why the proposal came to Dhaka WASA from the ministry, and why WASA formed a committee to review it.

A Dhaka WASA official, speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, said, “A group has set its sights on the Gulshan plot. They are behind this entire effort.”

RAJUK provided the land

When Dhaka was expanding in the 1960s, the then Dhaka Improvement Trust (DIT) launched the Gulshan Model Town project in 1961. DIT was transformed into RAJUK in 1987.

RAJUK allocated land in Gulshan to various government service agencies. Dhaka WASA was given the 114-katha plot in question. The agency was also given another 32 kathas, which was later acquired by Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), the operator of the metro rail.

A formal lease agreement between RAJUK and Dhaka WASA regarding the land was signed in 2009. According to the agreement, RAJUK leased the land to WASA for 99 years for residential purposes for Tk 28,844. The lease period is counted from 1964.

The Dhaka WASA property is located on the left after going through Banani from the Gulshan-2 roundabout. Gulshan Society Jame Mosque is nearby. The plot is beside Gulshan Lake.

During a visit on 10 August, it was found that the property was enclosed by a high boundary wall. There are large trees inside, along with a brick-paved walkway. There is a residential building on one side and a dak bungalow and Dhaka WASA facilities on the other.

Sources said the dak bungalow is intended for the managing director of Dhaka WASA. Four WASA officials live in the residential building.

Two real estate companies said that land in Gulshan is currently worth around Tk 100 million per katha. That would put the value of the 114-katha plot at around Tk 11.40 billion.

Proposal for a 19-storey building

A private real estate developer named Assure Development and Design has proposed constructing a building on the Dhaka WASA property as a joint venture. Its chairman, Md Sheikh Sadi, is a joint convener of the Kushtia district unit of the BNP. He had sought the BNP nomination from the Kushtia-4 constituency in the 13th parliamentary election but did not receive the nomination.

Sources said Assure Development’s proposal calls for constructing a 19-storey residential building in the “Icon Category” on the plot. According to the developer’s plan, around 150 apartments would be built. Each apartment would have an area of more than 4,700 square feet. The company wants to complete the project within five years.

Real estate businessmen say apartments in Gulshan currently sell for Tk 18,000 to Tk 20,000 per square foot. In January, RAJUK issued a notice for the allocation of several apartments in Gulshan, with prices ranging from Tk 16,000 to Tk 17,500 per square foot.

Real estate businessmen say all apartments in Gulshan are expensive. The “Icon Category” apartments being proposed could cost around Tk 25,000 per square foot. At that rate, a 4,700-square-foot apartment would cost around Tk 117.5 million. The total value of 150 apartments would be around Tk 17.63 billion. The company says construction of the building would cost around Tk 4 billion.

Prothom Alo contacted Assure Development chairman Sheikh Sadi by phone for his comments on the matter and also sent him a text message. However, he did not respond.

Meeting at Dhaka WASA

Documents show that the private real estate company submitted the proposal on 6 June. Dhaka WASA subsequently formed a three-member committee on 16 July.

The committee was asked to review various issues, including ownership and the current condition of the land, the private company’s proposal, its advantages and disadvantages, and the interests of WASA and the government.

Dhaka WASA Managing Director Md Aminul Islam told Prothom Alo by phone last Tuesday that the proposal was still at an initial stage. He said that the next steps would be taken while safeguarding Dhaka WASA’s interests and not under any kind of pressure.

Dhaka WASA sources said that on Tuesday, several people, including members of WASA’s Performance Support Committee and its newly appointed chairman, held a meeting on the proposal. The proposal could not be approved because of objections from several participants.

Mohammad Ashfaqul Numan, a representative of the Finance Division on the Performance Committee, was present at the meeting. Sources said he was among those who opposed the proposal. He declined to comment when asked about the matter.

Following the July mass uprising, a Performance Support Committee was formed to run Dhaka WASA because its board had been dissolved. On 2 August, Professor Md Sabbir Mostafa Khan of the Water Resources Engineering Department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) was appointed the new chairman of Dhaka WASA.

Members are currently being appointed to the Dhaka WASA board. This has also raised questions about whether the Performance Committee is still functional. What RAJUK says

The lease agreement between RAJUK and Dhaka WASA contains various restrictions on changing the use of the land or transferring it. It also states that permission must be obtained from RAJUK.

RAJUK Chairman Md Reazul Islam told Prothom Alo that they were not aware of the matter so far. However, he said he hoped the agency would ensure that the conditions under which the land was allocated to Dhaka WASA were not violated.

What will WASA do with 4,700-square-foot apartments?

If Assure Development gets the project and constructs the building as proposed, Dhaka WASA would receive around 77 apartments. Each apartment would have an area of 4,700 square feet.

The apartments in the building currently used for ministers on Bailey Road in Dhaka are about 5,000 square feet each. These apartments have four large bedrooms, a drawing room, an office, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen and six bathrooms.

Residential apartments built for secretaries in Eskaton, in the capital, are around 3,500 square feet. Dhaka WASA officials are not entitled to 4,700-square-foot apartments in Gulshan. This has raised the question of what Dhaka WASA would do with 77 apartments of such a large size.

Some people have said that if WASA wants to construct a building, it can do so itself. Why should ownership be given to a private company?

Adil Mohammed Khan, a professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Jahangirnagar University, told Prothom Alo that considering a large, open and green plot belonging to a government agency in an area like Gulshan for a high-rise residential project on the basis of a private company’s proposal is itself questionable.

He further said that public assets should not be used to create business opportunities for anyone. He said the interests behind such an initiative should be investigated transparently.