The Ministry of Housing and Public Works has uncovered systemic irregularities in the allocation of 874 plots within the Purbachal New Town Project and 200 plots in the Jhilmil Residential Area, distributed between 2009 and 2024. The ministry disclosed these findings on Sunday (Oct 19) during a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in the afternoon. All file activities concerning these contested plots have been temporarily suspended pending thorough investigations.
Addressing the parliamentary panel, ministry officials reported that a total of 1,413 plots were distributed across prime locations including Gulshan, Banani, Uttara, Purbachal, and Jhilmil under political consideration during the 15-year period. The Purbachal New Town Project accounted for the highest volume of allocations with 944 plots. The ministry emphasized that comprehensive legal actions will be pursued following impartial investigations into the political patronage and regulatory breaches surrounding these allotments.
The scrutiny follows a directive from the High Court, which issued a rule demanding a comprehensive inquiry into whether capital development authority RAJUK flouted rules or committed irregularities in plot distributions during the stipulated timeframe. In response, an assigned investigation committee scrutinized RAJUK project records and submitted findings detailing irregularities in nearly 1,087 plots across the Purbachal and Jhilmil ventures.
Beyond land allocation probes, the committee was briefed on upcoming infrastructure developments, including ongoing preparations to lay the foundation stone for a new secretariat building in the capital's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area on December 16. Furthermore, a Development Project Proposal has been submitted to the Planning Commission to install rooftop solar panels across government buildings. This initiative aims to generate 360 megawatts of electricity, with surplus energy slated for supply to the national grid after fulfilling domestic building requirements.
Presided over by committee chairman Md. Rezaul Karim Badsha, the meeting was attended by State Minister for Housing and Public Works Ahmed Sohel Monzur, along with committee members Lutfozzaman Babar, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Iqbal, M. Monjurul Karim Roni, Md. Ruhul Amin, and Md. Tajuddin Khan. Concluding the session, the parliamentary body directed relevant authorities to prioritize the meticulous maintenance, cleanliness, and preservation of the national parliament's solemnity.
