• Project on 6,032 flats for non-Bengalis at Basila awaits nod

Housing and Public Works Minister Mosharraf Hossen today told parliament that around 70 percent development works including land development, roads and bridge construction of the Purbachal New Town project has been completed.

"The other infrastructure facilities are now nearly completed.... so far about 70 percent development works of the Purbachal new city have been completed," he said in reply to lawmakers’ queries.

The minister in a scripted answer said the project has around 25,016 residential plots and at least 15 lakh people would be possible to accommodate in the city.

READ more: Purbachal New Town 'to be ready by 2018'

The project has developed communication system through building adequate wide road construction, he said, adding that telephone, IT, gas connection, electricity, water supply and sewerage system are also underway in the project.

In addition to this, the project also has school, college, university, mosque, madrasha, eidgah, temple, pagoda, playground, lake, stadium, conference center, golf club, five star hotel, bus terminal, hospital, wet market, eco-park, police station and fire service facilities.

The design approval programme for construction of building on the plots already has started, the minister added.

In reply to another query, he said the government would prepare a comprehensive risk sensitive land use plan at every upazilas to avoid catastrophe of climate change due to unplanned urbanisation in divisional cities.

"To avoid the gradual increase of disaster risk in divisional cities due to climate change and unplanned urbanisation, the government will prepare comprehensive plan for land use," he said while replying to lawmakers’ queries.

While answering to another query, the minister said a project awaits the approval of his ministry for constructing 6,032 residential flats at Basila in the city to rehabilitate non-Bengalis living at Geneva Camp, Mohammadpur.

Under the project, to be implemented by National Housing Authority, the government will prepare 140 plots, he said.

To implement the project, the minister said, the government will acquire 62.50 acres of land and the process to do that will start once the approval is given.