Encroachment on narrow lanes
Manik Chowdhury, Wari, Dhaka
There are so many houses in lanes and by-lanes of the capital city. Those shouldn't have been there for the sake of discipline and habitability. These are not the old houses of old city but new ones, came up only a couple or a few years back on so called DIT/Rajuk-passed plan! I shall not point it by name, but it won't be hard to find such 6/7-storey buildings on only 1/2 katha plots along just a 10/12 feet wide lane. How can you raise such a tall building on such a narrow lane not leaving an inch of space on any side for at least some semblance of natural light and ventilation? Without provision of sufficient natural light and ventilation a house is no house but a suffocating cell. Outside, the narrow lane just appears incapacitated to take load of the multiplied number of dwellers along its sides, not to speak of bearing the burden of an increasing number of vehicles. The service lines are also made incapacitated, just cannot take the load, especially sewage and water, for too many users. This is under no circumstance any ideal condition for living. Then why are we going for such construction with only one lift for say, four flats on each of the seven floors, and a narrow staircase, often kept dark? You cannot get optimum utility of the same during emergency situation, for instance, fire, tremor etc.Moreover, these structures have just violated construction rules and encroached upon the blank space of neighbour and/or road. Some have encroached on road just from the ground floor; some have started it from upstairs expanding the structure on road. Such top-heavy structures not only become hazardous themselves but also create hazard for neighbours blocking the space left for natural air and light. Don't these buildings deserve partial demolition as those on the main road, where action is being taken?
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