Khulna, August 30- 94 unauthorized housing projects in Khulna have been doing housing business illegally for a long time. Khulna Development Authority (KDA) is not taking any action against them despite the lack of approval. The promoters of these illegal projects have not even applied to the authorities for approval. They are selling low-lying land, agricultural land and filling up ponds and plots. However, residential areas lack essential civic amenities.

According to the KDA Act, housing projects must have at least 12 feet wide roads. But most projects don't have it. In the future, if these areas come under the city corporation, there will be no opportunity to build wide paved roads and drains and even dustbins.

The business of selling residential plots on both sides of Khulna Zero Point, Rupsa Setu Bypass Road and Link Road, Sachibunia-Batiaghata Road and Khulna-Satkhira Road has been going on for almost a century. 3 to 10 katha plots are being sold without registration and project layout approval from KDA. Houses are being built in an unplanned manner in these projects. Most project areas do not have electricity; No paved roads, street lights, drains and garbage disposal sites; The roads are also not wide. There are no schools, playgrounds, mosques, parks and medical centers in any of the project areas. But according to the law they are supposed to be there. Apart from this, the area of several housing projects is paddy fields and low land. Even the project has been made by filling ponds and reservoirs. The cost of these projects is 5 to 15 lakhs per plot of land.

According to KDA sources, among the 94 housing projects are Abdullah residential area on Muktijoddha College Road in Zero Point, Siam Housing Project in Shantinagar area, Sundarban Residential Project in Boyra area, Swapnagari Residential Area and Mohammadia Housing in Sachibunia area, Zaman Residential Area in Khulna University Road, Housing project in Gallamari area, Guljan City behind Saltachara Police Station, Molla Residential Project in Mohammadnagar area, Rupnagar Residential Project in front of Khulna University, Pragti Housing in front of Open University, Sabuj Bangla Residential Project in front of Palli Vidyut Office have been developed. Nikunj residential area in Gallamari area, Ekta housing project in Nijkhamar area, Greentown in Nirala area, Biswas properties in Rupsa Setu bypass road, New Bashundhara real estate in Boyra area, Swapnil housing in Hasanbagh area, Angina real estate project in Boyra area are being sold. 

Moreover, Ujan Nibas in Daulatpur, M/s Siam Properties in Boyra area, Tanisha Residential Project in Khulna University Main Road, Fazle Karimnagar Residential in Hamidnagar area, Chaiti Housing Properties in Mostafar Junction, AR Residential Project and Apple City in Boyra area, Pradhya Housing in Daulatpur, Swadesh City in Bastuhara Junction, Shimul City Housing is doing business in Daulatpur.

Conscious Citizen Committee (SANAK) Khulna President Ed. Kudrat e Khuda said, a class of businessmen are selling plots by buying low-lying land and filling it up. People buy land and build houses there without doing proper research. They do not see how many roads there are, whether there are drains or other facilities. In a few years, these housing projects will be poison for Khulna.

Chief Planning Officer of Khulna City Corporation Abir ul Jabbar said that unplanned houses are being built in unauthorized housing projects. But KDA is not taking any action in this regard.

Bangladesh Environment Movement (Bapa) Khulna Coordinator Md. Babul Howladar said that numerous housing projects have been developed by filling ponds, reservoirs and canals and destroying agricultural land. As a result, there is a negative impact on the environment. Even though there is a law that says that the category of agricultural land cannot be changed, the land traders are not obeying it.

In this regard, Planning Officer of Khulna Development Authority Md. Tanveer Ahmed said that to build a housing project within the City Corporation area, there should be at least 5 acres of land and at least 10 acres of land outside the city. Apart from this, there should be playgrounds, schools, religious places of worship and medical centers. But no housing project has that. Usually the businessmen buy some land themselves and build housing projects by getting land from other land owners. After that, if they can sell the land, their responsibility should be over.

He further said that none of the housing projects have been sanctioned and they have not even applied for the sanction. When asked why action is not being taken against them, he said, KDA has issued several notices and notices to the newspapers to get approval for the projects. Apart from this, a warning notice has been given in the newspaper so that no one buys land for these projects.