Calls for RAJUK to act as commercial assault on Banani residential plots rages on

Scores of commercial entities continue to operate in the capital’s Banani months after a court deadline for removing these unauthorised institutes and illegal structures from residential plots ended.

Obaidur Masumbdnews24.com
Published : 5 Oct 2018, 06:47 PM
Updated : 6 Oct 2018, 07:17 AM

These institutes and structures have upset the natural environs of the area, the residents of the upscale neighbourhood have said. They want the capital’s development authority RAJUK to be proactive.

Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha officials say they had taken measures to clear Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara areas from commercial entities on residential plots after the 2016 Holey Artisan cafe attack, but many of them resumed operations after securing court orders in their favour.

In Banani, commercial operations are allowed only on Kamal Ataturk Avenue and Road No. 11 with RAJUK’s permission.

But the streets around Banani Bazar are full of commercial establishments, many of which are running on residential plots.

Star Kabab and Restaurant has an outlet on Road No. 6, while Road No. 12 has Oriental Lounge, Pan Tao Thai Cuisine, The Bhoj Company, Mumu Maria, 3 Dragons at Pearl, Pavilion Lifestyle Limited, Little Shop and Kumudini Handicrafts on it.

Tastebud and Absolute Thai are running their business on Road No. 12/A, Hotel Orchard Suites, Shokudo101, and Lakeshore Banani on Road No. 13/A, Fools Diner on 13/B, Tara on 13/C, and Tree House, Sundarban Courier Service, Korean Mart and BBQ on Road No. 13/E.

Hotel Swiss Park is located on Road No. 15, Salam’s Kitchen, Tarka, Hakka Dhaka, and ChileKotha on Enamul Haque Chowdhury Road; Al Humyra Health Centre, Nordic Hotels Limited and Shalimar Gardens restaurant on Road No. 17; and Galesia hotel and Barcode restaurant on Road No. 21.

The Meem Medical Centre is on Road No. 22 and is often used for tests by those traveling abroad. York Hospital is also set to be opened on Road No. 22.

Road No. 27 houses Paramount Trading Centre, Attin restaurant, O2 fashion house, Hotel Eastern Residence, Home Pro and Raw Nation clothing store.

Chandshi Medical Centre and the office of a housing company are on Road No. 28 while Road No. 19/A accommodates The Jar and Chows restaurants.

A resident of the Road No. 22 said these commercial entities are an assault on the residential fabric of Banani.

Speaking to bdnews24.com, he said hundreds of people willing to go abroad come to a medical centre on the road every day for checkup.

“Public disturbances are common there. Sometimes, the police have to intervene,” added the individual who preferred anonymity.

He also said the residents of the road often find it difficult to enter or come out of their homes due to cars parked on the road. These cars belong to businesses or their clients.

Chandshi Medical Centre Managing Director AKM Nazrul Islam declined to speak to bdnews24.com about how they were operating on a residential plot.

The plot with the holding No. 49 on Banani Road No. 27 houses the much-discussed Raintree Hotel, which made headlines after allegations of rape in the hotel surfaced in May last year.

Its spokesman Iqbal Hossain said he would contact bdnews24.com after speaking to his superiors about running the hotel on the residential plot, but did not get back later.

Some of the commercial entities moved away from Banani after the RAJUK launched an eviction drive in 2016.

Azzurri Italiana Managing Director Joyeb Parvez Jony said they were also moving their restaurant to Gulshan to avoid problems during drives.

Banani Society President Md Shawkat Ali Bhuiyan Dilan told bdnews24.com some authorised business establishments can be there at the designated places to meet the needs if the residents.

“But entities randomly operating create problems for the residents. They don’t want these in the residential area,” he said.

After the deadly attack on the Gulshan cafe in 2016, the then RAJUK chairman M Bazlul Karim Chowdhury said they had made a list of 552 commercial entities in Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara areas. RAJUK had also conducted an operation to evict the unauthorised entities and structures at the time.

Now RAJUK officials have no idea how many of these businesses are operating in the areas.

Khandaker Oliur Rahman, a director at the RAJUK, said they were updating the list. “There are commercial establishments on every street in these areas."

They could not evict many of the businesses from these areas because those secured court injunctions.

Oliur also complained about a lack of police backup to conduct the drives. They were afforded police support on only seven days in past three months.

The High Court set a 10-month deadline on July 5 last year to remove the unauthorised commercial entities and structures on residential plots after hearing writ petitions by 237 such entities, including 154 in Gulshan and Banani, together. 

RAJUK officials said they sealed off 101 entities after the deadline ended in May. Some of these businesses, however, resumed operations on obtaining stay orders from court, they said.

Mahmudul Hasan, another director at the RAJUK, said, “We will follow court orders on these organisations. But we are also focussing on barring new commercial entities from operating on residential plots."