Prime Minister Tarek Rahman has described the country’s housing industry as one of the key drivers of the national economy, saying that the sustainable development of the sector is crucial to the country’s overall economic growth.
He said the government is working to create a transparent, accountable and investment-friendly environment to ensure that the housing sector develops in a planned, sustainable and corruption-free manner.
The Prime Minister said the government has already undertaken various reform measures to prevent irregularities in the housing sector and is taking further effective initiatives to strengthen transparency and accountability in the industry.
He made the remarks during a courtesy meeting with a delegation of the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) at the Cabinet Division of the Bangladesh Secretariat on Wednesday afternoon.
Prime Minister’s Assistant Press Secretary Gazi Shahriar Pamir briefed the media about the meeting.
He said the meeting discussed in detail the current state of the country’s housing industry, challenges to planned urbanisation, practical problems arising from the implementation of the Detailed Area Plan (DAP), and the long-term development and prospects of the housing sector.
During the meeting, the REHAB delegation requested the government to reduce land, plot and flat registration fees to a reasonable level. They also stressed the importance of fully digitising government services related to the housing sector to ensure faster and more transparent service delivery.
The delegation also called for the rational determination of the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for building construction and greater emphasis on vertical urbanisation to ensure the optimum use of limited land resources in the capital.
In response, Prime Minister Tarek Rahman said urbanisation should not remain concentrated only in Dhaka. Other regions and cities of the country must also be given equal importance and developed in a planned manner.
He also stressed the need to protect agricultural land while carrying out development activities across the country.
The meeting was attended by Housing and Public Works Minister Zakaria Taher Sumon, REHAB President Dr Ali Afzal, Vice-President-2 Abu Khalid Mohammad Barkatullah, Eastern Housing Limited Managing Director Md Aminul Karim Siddiqui, United Group Additional Managing Director Nizamuddin Hasan Rashid and Manager Mushfiqur Alam Khandaker.
Others present at the meeting included Rupayan Group Chairman Md Liaquat Ali Khan, Co-Chairman Mahir Ali Khan Ratul, Amin Mohammad Group Executive Director Abul Kalam Md Rezaul Karim, Century Group Chairman Major General (retd) Nasir Majumdar, US-Bangla Assets Limited Director Brigadier General (retd) Md Jalal Ghani Khan and Swadesh Properties Limited Managing Director M.A. Qayyum.
