Bribery, irregularities, and the hassle of running from desk to desk — receiving services from RAJUK has become synonymous with suffering. From allocation letters to building plan approvals and land use clearances, irregularities are present at every step. Following the change in political landscape on August 5 last year, city residents had hoped the interim government would bring change. However, service seekers complain that the irregularities within the organization remain just as before. City officials have complained that RAJUK has not taken any visible initiative to restore the livability of the capital, Dhaka.
Service seekers primarily face hardship at RAJUK while trying to obtain several types of services. These include: mutation by inheritance; mutation based on transfer or gift; permission for registration of deeds for plot transfer, gift (Heba/Daanpatra), or partition; permission for registration of plot transfers, gift deeds, waqf deeds, or distribution deeds; approval for transfer or distribution of flats through gift deeds; approval or cancellation of power of attorney for plots or flats; issuing amended allotment letters through inheritance; providing certified copies of original documents in case of loss; land use clearance; approval of building design; building construction permits; and occupancy certificates, among others.
Especially, there is a significant amount of suffering in the areas of land use clearance and design approval. Bonik Barta spoke to three landowners and several developers about the matter. They stated that the process of approving a house design has reached a stage where it is impossible to proceed without substantial bribes. Service seekers keep aside the bribe money for design approval during the construction of the house, and then start the work. The victims allege that they have to pay bribes ranging from five hundred thousand to tens of millions of taka for plan approval, depending on the house and project.
The biggest corruption in RAJUK is in the field of design approval work. This is where service seekers suffer the most. To stop these corruptions and irregularities, RAJUK introduced an online service called the Electronic Construction Permitting System (ECSP) in 2022. A person wishing to obtain a house design approval must open an account on the site, providing the land title deed, rent receipt, NID, and other relevant documents, and obtain a clearance certificate. In this regard, multiple sources in RAJUK told Bonik Barta that the website is only in name. All the work is done on the table.
When asked how corruption occurs in the design approval process, even after it is online, RAJUK sources stated that after the landowner receives the clearance certificate, all house designs must be submitted through RAJUK’s authorized engineer. If the design is submitted online, it is rejected as wrong. But the reason for the rejection is not informed. If you go directly to the concerned office to find out about this, people are forced to pay bribes. According to RAJUK sources, the online service has been completely shut down for two months. Earlier, there was an incident like the design approval of a 15-story building by hacking the RAJUK website. Even though RAJUK services have been made online, there has been no change in bribery, corruption, and public suffering, said Dr. Akter Mahmud, professor of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP) at Jahangirnagar University. He told Bonik Barta, “RAJUK’s service is very complicated. It is so difficult that people get panicked just by hearing the name of RAJUK. Here, for one service, you have to submit numerous necessary and unnecessary papers in numerous places. Which they could have made easier if they wanted.”
Regarding the complexity of RAJUK’s services, he further said, “It is clearly stated how many days a service should be provided. However, there is no clear instruction on what to do if the service is not provided within that timeframe. That is why 15-day files remain here for months after months. People are being harassed intentionally, but RAJUK has not taken any strict measures to resolve it.”
Industry insiders say that if RAJUK had wanted it, there would have been no violation of building rules in Dhaka. The officials in the relevant zone accept bribes when approving the building design. Then, during the construction of the building, the inspectors take bribes and remain silent. When the construction of the building is completed, the occupancy certificate is issued in exchange for money. Again, when the building catches fire or collapses, they claim that the design of the building has been compromised.
When asked about irregularities and corruption in RAJUK, Managing Director of Varieds Builders, Md Mahmudul Hasan, told Bonik Barta, “RAJUK is a neat and clean organization on paper and in pen. To date, they have not granted approval for any building that violates the rules. But there are unwritten agreements with the building owners. Even if the correct design is provided, no action is taken to build the building as intended. If the transaction is correct, no one says anything. If an accident occurs, RAJUK officials get away with it by showing the original design.”
He said, “It was possible for a powerful organization like RAJUK to turn Dhaka into a livable city. But they didn’t do that. If RAJUK had gone and broken the columns of a building when the design of the building was not approved, then no one would have dared to violate the design. They went and broke the balcony. They went and knocked on the gate. And said they would go to the office and talk. Then the building owner understood why they were asked to meet.”
He said, “An influential organization like RAJUK had the capability to transform Dhaka into a livable city. But they didn’t. If RAJUK had taken strong action, like demolishing the columns of buildings that violated approved designs, no one would have dared to breach the rules. Instead, they break a balcony, give a knock on the door, and say, ‘Visit our office to discuss the matter.’ At that point, the building owner understands exactly why they’re being asked to visit.”
RAJUK issued a new Detailed Area Plan (DAP) gazette in 2023, claiming it was aimed at creating a livable city. However, this DAP has caused severe hardship for city residents. Due to the DAP, construction work has come to a halt in many areas. Allegations have surfaced that large bribes are being paid to obtain backdated building approvals. The DAP has been previously published, incorporating exemptions in specific areas. Currently, the latest version of the DAP is with the ministry for further revision.
A recent visit to the RAJUK office revealed that the organization has introduced a “Fast Track” service at the entrance. Five officials are stationed at booths with five computers. However, despite the name, the officials clarified that it is essentially just a help desk. They do not have access to any database, which prevents them from providing actual fast-track services. All they can do is direct people to the appropriate person or department when asked.
When asked about the reforms of RAJUK, architect Iqbal Habib told Bonik Barta, “RAJUK has taken various initiatives to simplify services and reduce corruption. Nothing has been done. It is not happening yet. I’ve always said that RAJUK officials should come to this side of the table for once and experience it as service seekers. Then you will understand the complexity of RAJUK’s services. We have been saying that building approvals should be simplified and supervision should be made difficult. Let’s see how much can be done.”
However, RAJUK member (Administration and Finance) Dr. Md Alam Mostafa (Joint Secretary) disagrees with the accusation that corruption has not yet decreased. He told Bonik Barta, “I came here last September. We are taking a tough stance on corruption. Since I came, 48 officials have been dismissed on corruption charges so far. The process of dismissing a significant number of officials is underway. 18 people have been transferred outside Dhaka. This is a big step. We are also benefiting from this. However, it will take time to completely free ourselves from corruption.”
He added, “We are trying to bring the entire service of RAJUK online. The design approval service is temporarily closed. We hope to be able to start it soon. Once it goes online, the service will also become easier. And now we take quick action if we receive any complaint. This is also part of making the service easier.”