Out of the 2.2 million buildings in Dhaka, only 165 have an ‘Occupancy Certificate’ from city development authority RAJUK.
According to Section 18 of the Dhaka Metropolitan Building Rules 2008, the building owners must obtain an occupancy certificate after the construction is completed or partially finished.
The building cannot be used under any circumstances without this clearance and the certificate must be renewed every five years.
There are currently more than 2.2 million buildings in the capital and RAJUK has approved the plans for 8,730 more in the current fiscal year.
Although according to the guideline, the clearance is mandatory building owners are not paying heed and RAJUK hasn’t taken any steps against them.
The owners are constructing and using the buildings as they see fit without ensuring safety measures.
Experts say that if this issue was addressed effectively, the buildings would be less faulty and the fire risks could have been reduced as well.
RAJUK Chairman Abdur Rahman says that despite being mandatory, they can’t issue the clearance certificate as the buildings usually have some fault or the other.
However, it has now been decided that utility services, like power and water, won’t be given to buildings without an occupancy certificate.
Absence of the clearance certificate makes it difficult to determine whether a building has been constructed as per the approved plan, say experts.
As RAJUK is failing to make the owners collect the certificate, the construction can’t be monitored either and people are getting away by deviating from the plan.
According to RAJUK, it received 5,554 building plans for approval in the 2016-17 fiscal. Among them, 127 were approved.
The development authority clears nearly 5,500 plans every year and in the last 11 years, 60,500 buildings were constructed and their occupancy certificate rate is 0.27 percent.
Former president of Institute of Architects Bangladesh, Mobassher Hossain told Bangla Tribune that if RAJUK had been able to implement the laws no one would have been able to resort to illegal construction.
Bangladesh Institute of Planners General Secretary Akhter Mahmid says that under the existing construction laws it’s illegal to use a building until and unless the occupancy certificate has been cleared.
“Since the law isn’t being effectively implemented, the constructions of faulty buildings are continuing,” he said.
On the latest initiatives to cut off utility supply to the buildings without clearance, he said, “The truth is the ministry doesn’t cut off the utility lines after the construction is over.”
He said that they will strictly monitor the 8,730 building under construction will be strictly monitored and they have already halted the construction of some.