Revealing that the government has identified as many as 1,818 houses those have been built by violating building codes in Dhaka, Housing Minister SM Rezaul Karim has said no illegal house owner will be spared, even though they become lawmakers or cabinet members.
“Owners of these [illegally built] houses are politically and financially powerful. But, I have ordered to take action against them, even if they are lawmakers, ministers or my relatives,” he told a Meet the Press at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity in the capital’s Segunbagicha on Friday (Jun 21).
The minister said, “Many houses in Old Dhaka will be renovated with the owner will receive flat apartment in proportion to the amount of their land
“Building that won’t be renovated will be either demolished or sealed off,” he said.

“We have some misunderstandings about heritage sites. Sometimes it [a building] might look like a heritage site but if it is not listed as a heritage site, we cannot really do anything,” the minister said.
Jahaj Bari, a building on Old Dhaka’s Chawkbazar Road, was demolished on Jun 5, the night of Eid-ul-Fitr, in violation of a High Court order.
The minister said if a building is listed as a heritage building, his ministry will not permit it to be demolished.