Though Rajdhani Unnyan Kartripakkya (Rajuk), the implementing agency, has so far realised over Tk 900 crore from the plot winners in two instalments over three years since 2003 against almost 16,000 plots, it has not been able to handover a single plot yet.

The plots have only been allotted in paper with just an identification number.

"We have paid the first and second instalments of the total price of the plots," said Purbachal Natun Shahar Kalyan Samity's general secretary, advocate Humayun Kabir. "But Rajuk has not been able to complete even one-fourth of the project's development work as yet," he added.

Some allottees have already paid the third instalment too to avoid interest slapped by Rajuk by December 2006.

"A huge amount of the money has been misappropriated against inflated expenditure and they are now facing fund constraints in the project implementation," Kabir added.

Later, as the Samity argued that allottees will not pay the third instalment until handover of plots, Rajuk decided to collect the payment during handover without interest.

Kabir said that although housing and public works minister declared publicly that handover of Purbachal plots would start last December, progress of the project so far is disappointing.

Denying any commitment of plot handover last December, Rajuk chairman KAM Harun said: "We will be able to handover around 1,000 plots in the sectors 4, 5 and 6, where ground development has been almost complete, by October."

Rajuk has to carry out ground development work in two major segments. One is cutting and filling (levelling) of the uneven ground and the other is filling low-lying ground. Each segment constitutes 50 percent of Rajuk work.

"We have not been able to begin the cutting and filling segment yet, as the cabinet purchase committee has not approved it," Harun said adding that 80 percent of filling low-lying ground has been completed.

Developing around 6,000 acres of land for the project for around 20,000 plots is not an easy task, he said.

"It is not true that remarkable progress has taken place in the project implementation," said a plot winner and a Samity leader seeking anonymity.

"They make such claims just to save their skin," he added.

Corruption, financial misappropriation, irregularities and lack of commitment reign over this housing project, he said.

"Certain officials manage to get posted to this project just to make money or grab a plot by whatever means,” he further said.

There is no legal expertise to take care of various legal aspects particularly in matter of land acquisition, he said, adding that a legal expert may put an end to raging malpractice on the project.

A top Rajuk official termed its chairman's expectation of handing over 1,000 plots by October as a fantasy.

"A major reason behind delay in project implementation is the inefficiency of the project director (PD)," said the Rajuk official. "PD for such township development projects is usually employed from Rajuk. But in this case, the PD has come from the public Works department (PWD)," he added.

The present PD is the third. Two previous PDs of Purbachal, also from PWD, were simply removed on charges of inefficiency and irregularities, with no punishment, he said.

But a PD employed from Rajuk would have to explain his failure and face punishment.

Rajuk sources said that project officials are too busy making a business out of plot allotment. They indulge in buying low-priced plots meant for affected residents in the project area and then sell them at a higher price to some other buyers.

Though affected residents within the project area have been compensated accordingly, the PD has not been able to evict many of the occupants.

When asked about the project progress Abdus Sadeq, the PD said: "It is strictly prohibited to divulge any information to the media."

Regarding the allegations against him, Sadeq said: "May be someone wants this position. I certainly have no longing for this post."

"The more one works the more allegations will be" he added.

"Why should we evict those that we don't need to?" he said, "We have employed an NGO to move the duly-compensated occupying inhabitants elsewhere and undertake work on some rehabilitation programmes for them," he said.

The Purbachal project, about 16 kilometres away from the city, is located between Rupganj of Narayanganj district and Kaliganj of Gazipur district.

There are plots of 10, 7.5, 5 and 3 katha plots on the project.

Government price of each of 10-katha plots is Tk 20 lakhs, 7.5-katha Tk12.37 lakhs, 5-katha iss Tk 8.05 and 3-katha plots Tk 4.5 lakhs respectively.

Rajuk has so far allotted 12,549 3-katha plots, 1,044 5-katha plots, 1,556 plots of 7.5-katha and 1,156 10-katha plots.

Believed to be the largest planned housing and urbanisation project in the country, uncertainty looms over Purbachal's utility service systems with still Rajuk negotiating with the agencies concerned to take responsibility.