It used to be a straightforward process -- a landowner planning to construct a building in Barisal city would have to submit a building plan to the city corporation for its approval.

The corporation would scrutinise the plan as per the building code. Afterwards, the owner would pay a certain amount as fee, collect the approved plan and start the construction work.

The process usually took a month.

But the approval procedure has come to a halt since July 18, following a suspension letter from the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.

Nandita Bashu, chief town planner of Barisal City Corporation (BCC), said the ministry recently sent letters to all the city corporations and municipalities regarding the building approval procedures.

It has formed an 11-member committee in this regard for ensuring building safety and planned urbanisation, she said. Now, anyone wanting to construct a building would have to get an approval of their plan from the committee.

The committee is supposed to sit for a meeting every three months for approving the plans. But no such meeting has been arranged yet, she said.

She said about 300 building plans have been submitted to the city corporation for approval in the last three months. “The corporation is badly affected by the delay as it is also one of our main earning sources.”

The chief town planner said the committee includes an architect of Institute of Architects Bangladesh; an engineer of Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh; a member of Bangladesh Institute of Planners; chief executive officer and chief engineer of the city corporation; executive engineers of LGED and the public works department; a diploma engineer and representatives from the fire service and the department of environment.

Meanwhile, this sudden suspension has put the landowners, planning to construct buildings on their properties, in a difficult situation.

Abdul Khaleque Talukder, a resident of Rupatoli Bashundhara Housing area, has been contacting the city corporation regularly for the update of a building plan he submitted back in June. “I don't know how much longer I have to wait,” said the 65-year-old.

Saudi expatriate Rafiqul Islam recently came back to the city on a three-month leave. He wanted to complete the construction work of his building in the city's Rupatoli Housing Area during that time. “Now I fear I may not be able to get the approval, let alone finish the building in time.”

Mahabubur Rahman, a government employee, recently purchased a land at Bashundhara housing. “I can't start the work as I'm yet to get an approval of the submitted plan.”

The developers are also suffering due to the suspension, said Mohammad Saju, a developer in the city.

Contacted, Mohammad Oheduzzaman, BCC chief executive officer, said, “Before there were no such committees. The city corporation used to conduct a feasibility study of a submitted plan as per the building code and process the application.”

When asked about the steps they were taking regarding the situation, he said, “We have already sent letters to the respective departments of the committee. A meeting will be held soon to process the building plans.”

Meanwhile, Md Ruhul Amin, executive engineer of LGED in Barisal, said he is not aware of the suspension letter.