The list of beneficiaries, published in several newspapers yesterday, shows that all the 50 allottees in Uttara and 46 of the 50 in Banani are ruling party men and their relatives.

The list comprises of 19 ministers, 52 ruling coalition MPs, the mayors of Rajshahi and Barisal, two advisers to ministries, a son of the president, sons of ministers and ruling coalition lawmakers, BNP leaders and the pro-ruling coalition vice chancellor of National University and chairman of University Grants Commission.

The only offbeat allottees are Awami League deputy Dr Hamida Banu Shova and Jatiya Party (Ershad) lawmaker Hafizuddin Ahmed.

Housing and Public Works Minister Mirza Abbas told the press yesterday there was nothing wrong in the allocation process. All applicants from the Awami League were given plots, he pointed out.

Secretary of the ministry Iqbaluddin Chowdhury also claimed they followed the same guideline in Banani-Uttara plot allocation as in case of Purbachal plots.

"Every minister and MP who had applied received a plot. And we will follow the same guideline in future, too," he asserted. "As the number of plots was limited, only the ministers and MPs were eligible to get them."

Officials at Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha claimed the allocation was made using a 'genuine and deserving' selection method under the Clause 8 of Dhaka Improvement Trust Rules, 1969.

According to the rules, every applicant has to submit an official declaration that he or she does not own any property in the city. If one does, it makes him or her ineligible to get a further plot from Rajuk.

"If any one is found to have received allocation of a Rajuk plot by hiding the information of owning a city property, his or her allocation would be cancelled," Chowdhury said.

But, in the present case, most of the plot recipients already owned one or more plots or flats in the city, Rajuk sources said.

Among the ministers who received plots are Abdul Manan Bhuiyan, Tariqul Islam, Abdullah Al-Noman, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed and Abdul Matin Choudhury.

The state ministers are Iqbal Hassan Mahmud, Prof Rezaul Karim, Alamgir Kabir, Fazlur Rahman, Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin, M Lutfozzaman Babar, Lutfur Rahman Khan Azad, ANM Ehsanul Haque (Milon), Selima Rahman, Goutam Chakraborty and Jafrul Islam Chowdhury.

Adviser to the Commerce Ministry Barkatullah Bulu, Adviser to the Foreign Ministry M Reaz Rahman, Barisal City Corporation Mayor Mojibar Rahman Sarwar and Rajshahi City Corporation Mayor M Mizanur Rahman Minu are also on the list.

The recipient deputy ministers are M Ruhul Quddus Talukder (Dulu), Asadul Habib Dulu and M Abdus Salam Pintu.

Deputy Speaker Akhter Hamid Siddique, Anti-Corruption Commi-ssioner Prof M Moniruzzaman Miah, National University VC Prof Aftab Ahmed, Justice Shah Abu Nayeem Mominur Rahman, Justice Shamim Hasnain, former inspector general of police Mudabbir Hossain Chow-dhury, University Grant Commission Chairman M Asaduzzaman and Ambassador Sabihuddin Ahmed also received plots.

President's son Imtiaz Ahmed, prime minister's brother Sayeed Eskander MP, finance minister's son M Naseer Rahman MP, health minister's son Khandakar Mahbub Ho-ssain, Prime Minister's Parliamentary Affairs Advisor Salauddin Qader Chowdhury's son Fazlul Kader Chow-dhury, MP Mahbubur Rahman's son Faisal Mahbub, MP Oli Ahmed's daughter Sabrina Sharmin and legal successors to late BNP lawmaker Shamsuddin Ahmed Esak are on the list. Another allottee is learnt to be the father-in-law of prime minister's youngest son Arafat Rahman.

Among the ruling coalition lawmakers are Whips Muhammad Fazlul Haque Aspia and Alhaj M Jahed Ali Chowdhury, and Shah Nurul Kabir, Sultan Mohammad Babu, Abdul Momen Talukder, Dildar Hossain Selim, Abdul Gaffur Bhuiyan, ABM Ashraf Uddin (Nizam), Amzad Hossain Sarker, Mozahar Hossain, Mostafa Kamal Pasha, M Mozammel Haque, M Abdul Mottalib Akanda, Hazi M Mozammel Haque, M Abdul Gani, Masud Ahmed Masud Arun, AKM Selim Reza Habib, Mohammed Gheyas Uddin, M Harunur Rashid, M Shamsuzzoha Khan, Khurrum Khan Choudhury, M Shahidul Islam, Sahjahan Chowdhury, AKM Fazlul Haque Milon, Abul Khair Bhuiyan, Abdul Hye, Moazzam Hossain Alal, Shajahan Chowdhury, M Nazim-uddin Alam, M Ilias Ali, Mozibor Rahman Monju, Alamgir Haider Khan, Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, M Kabir Hossain, Salauddin Ahmed, M Hafiz Ibrahim, M Sahiduddin Chowdhury Anee, M Abul Hossain Khan, M Nadim Mostafa, Mosiur Rahman, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, M Habibul Islam Habib, Syed Abdullah M Taher, retired major Manzur Kader, Rashiduzzaman Millat, Zahir Uddin Swapon, Prof M Shahidul Islam, Shahiduzzaman (Beltu), Principal Shorab Uddin and Syed Manjur Hossain.

BNP leaders Khairul Kabir Khokon and M Mofiqul Hassan Tripty also received a plot each.

The rest of the allottees are SM Hasan Reza, Nasrot Rajee, Kabir Ahmed Khan, Tasnim Ahmad, Golam Nabi Alamgir, Afifa Mustary, SM Mostakim Reza, M Sahidul Islam, Shahidul Alam Talukder, Masuda Akram, M Ahsan Habib and Abeda Chowdhury.

Rajuk sources said the city planners first decided to allocate 50 plots in Uttara and invited applications for them in 2004. It received a total of 535 applications. Finding that 80 of the applicants were ruling party ministers, state ministers and lawmakers, Rajuk then decided to add 50 more plots to the basket from Uttara Sector 14.

The housing and public works ministry finalised the list of allottees recently and instructed Rajuk chairman to sign the allotment letters and make a public notification in the press, the sources said.