They placed the demand at a discussion on 'Dhaka City High Rise Building Construction Code-2003'organised by the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) at a city hotel.

State Minister for Housing Alamgir Kabir attended the discussion as chief guest while the RAJUK chairman was the special guest. REHAB Chairman Toufiq M Seraj chaired the meet.

The real estate developers proposed some recommendations to include in future high rise building code.

They said the high rise buildings could solve the accommodation problem in a densely populated city like Dhaka.

"The high rise buildings are also not risky for earthquake as these are built with sufficient precautions", they claimed.

The real estate developers said due to corruption of the officials concerned, people are encouraged to violate the existing laws causing havoc to environment.

Alamgir Kabir said the existing water body protection laws strictly prohibits the change of the character of wetlands.

"We are thinking to make some changes in it. We may table a bill in parliament in this respect," he added.

The state minister said the government might take some steps to reduce the harassment of the real estate developers while getting the permissions.

The RAJUK chairman however denied the allegations of harassment and said not a single plan of constructing high rise building was cancelled.

"But the developers will have to take permissions from at least eleven departments", he added.

The chairman said he had been trying to update the laws and reduce the corruption since he took the chair.

Toufiq M Seraj called for updating the laws and provisions of RAJUK comparing them with international standard.