State Minister for Housing and Public Works Advocate Abdul Mannan Khan told the House yesterday that the government has undertaken various steps for removing housing problems of lower and middle class people of Dhaka city.

Replying to a scripted question from treasury bench member Mohammad Shahriar Alam, he said 4.55 acre lands have been allocated for the low income people in Jhilmil Housing Project and 15.53 acre lands have been allocated for constructing multistoried buildings of 600-800 square feet flats for lower and middle class people in the same project. He also said 40.51 acre lands have been allocated for low income people, 10.917 acre lands for the low and middle class people and 67.011 acre lands for constructing multistoried 600 sft flats for low and middle class people in Uttara Phase-III Housing Project.

The state minister said 96.27 acre lands have been allocated for lower and middle class people, 291.33 acre land for constructing 800- 1200 sft flats in Purbachal New Town Housing Project. The RAJUK has already undertaken steps to build about 20,000 flats in the Uttara Phase-III Project, he added. Besides, he said, the government has planned to set up four satellite towns with modern facilities around Dhaka city where flats will be constructed for the lower and middle class people.

Advocate Mannan Khan said The National Housing Authority has undertaken a plan to build 1020 flats of 800 and 1000 sft in Block F and 14,000 flats of 500, 800 and 1000 sft in Mirpur Section-9. The tender evaluation for the work of Block F is going on, he said. Responding to another question from ruling party lawmaker Talukdar Mohammad Towhid Jong, the state minister said applications were taken for plots of Mohammadpur F Block and later a decision was taken for constructing flats instead of plots to provide housing facilities to more people.

"The project was not implemented within the stipulated time due to occupation of the place and pending of a number of cases," he said. He said the place of the project was brought under the National Housing Authority on April 4, 2008 with the withdrawal of stay on the cases. The tender for the project has already been floated which is under process for approval, he said. The state minister also said the government is also evaluating for taking another such project at Bhakurta in Savar.

-New Nation