The DAP includes in details every structure, lake, canal, wetland, retention pond, road, open space, place of worship and all other topographical features of the city.

It also minutely takes into account environmentally critical aspects in the areas of infrastructural development. Once it is completed, town planners will have a ready reference for development planning for the city.

The DAP is crucial for planned urbanisation and development of the capital city and conservation of environment through proper implementation of Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan (DMDP), popularly known as master plan.

But the delay in implementation of the DMDP has resulted in the filling up of vast low-lying areas in and around the city exposing it to environmental hazards, flooding and waterlogging with even insignificant volume of rainfall, the environmentalists said.

It is alleged that a section of corrupt officials of Rajuk have deliberately delayed the DAP to make room for private land developers to destroy city's environment.

Geographical and topographical features of the city have been altered recklessly, in absence of the DAP, during the past decade.

The environmentalists expressed serious doubts whether DAP will contain original and detailed positions of the flood-flow zones, retention ponds, lakes, rivers, canals and Strategic Planning Zones (SPZ), as earmarked in the DMDP.

For example, a private housing developer has earth-filled river, main flood flow zones and sub-flood flow zones in three moujas of Anta, Hazaribagh and Dhaleswar. Another housing developer has filled up a retention pond in Matuail mouja.

The DMDP was initiated in 1992, completed in 1995 and officially gazetted in 1997. But it took around a decade for Rajuk to initiate framing of DAP in November 2004.

Rajuk hired four local consulting firms -- Sheltech Private Limited, Development Design Consultants Limited (DDC), Engineering and Planning Consultants Limited (EPC) and Ganibangla Limited -- for the two-year DAP project involving Tk 23.22 crore.

The entire study area -- 1, 528 square kilometres -- was initially divided into five groups. Group-A covers northeast part, Group-B southeast part, Group-C central part, Group-D southwest part and Group-E northwest part.

The terms of reference (ToR) of the project obliges the consultants to consult with interested parties, local communities and stakeholders at all stages of preparing DAP.

But different citizens' groups and environmentalists have raised allegation of anomalies in the way of preparing the document keeping the general people in dark.

Noted environmentalist and one of the oldest residents of Dhanmondi Prof Muzaffer Ahmad said that there has been no meaningful consultation for the plan in Dhanmondi. The consulting firm Ganibangla Limited did not hold consultation with the major stakeholders or any of the notable citizens' groups of Dhanmondi.

"Our demand is Rajuk must arrange public discourse immediately on progress of DAP before preparation of the draft plan," he said. "Moreover, the survey for DAP is flawed with various methodological defects."

Such a planning document has to have directions on how to restore and protect social and natural characteristics of a residential area like Dhanmondi, he said at a meeting on DAP jointly organised by Dhanmondi Poribesh Unnayan Jote and Dhanmondi Abashik Malik Kalyan Samiti at Drik Gallery on June 9.

President of the Institute of Architect Bangladesh and a Dhanmondi resident Mubasshar Hussain said that Ganibangla has so far done no tangible work but they are set to submit a complete interim report to the authorities.

They should have consulted with the residents with whatever findings they have, he said.

"My firm belief is that other firms too have done the job in the similar manner bypassing meaningful community participation," said Hussain. "Purpose of the DAP will never be served with such messy and deficient work."

Rajuk must make the DAP public before reaching final stage, he said adding that the consultants have to consult with cross-section of people including professionals like planners, architects, engineers and lawyers.

According to sources, five firms were inadequate for the huge task of DAP but the number was reduced to four dividing the work of group D among the consulting firms.

Moreover, DDC is the assigned consulting firm for group A but it is also working jointly with Ganibangla for group C. DDC team leader for group A Mahbubur Rahman said, "We are extending technical support to Ganibangla."

Team Leader of Ganibangla Prof Golam Rahman said, "Ganibangla is taking support from DDC because it does not have enough manpower for the job," he said.

Asked why the job of Group D was divided among the consulting firms, Project Director of DAP Nayeema Khatun said, "We had to do it because all the bidders created a chaotic situation making allegations against each other."

On the allegation of not holding adequate public consultations, Rajuk Member (Planning) Nasir Uddin said, "We consulted with the housing developers and local representatives like ward commissioners at the initial stage."

He also said that Rajuk wants to extend the deadline for DAP preparation up to December and a proposal has been prepared for it.

Nayeema Khatun said that DDC and Ganibangla could work jointly as per tender document but internal feud between the two firms have spoilt the work of group C.

"It is the duty of the consulting firms to go house-to-house and ground level people for socio-economic survey. It is their failure if they have not done so. I will ask Ganibangla to have consultation with those who have shown interests," she said.

According to her, survey reports of all four firms have already been completed.

The firms are now working on corrections of the interim reports, as suggested by the Technical Evaluation Committee, and the draft plan.

Working simultaneously on both interim report and draft plan is not a problem, said Nayeema. "We will arrange public hearing of DAP for 60 days after the draft plan is completed."

Team leader of Ganibangla said that they are now going to consult with all the stakeholders concerned, with whatever findings they have.

According to the experts, DAP should have been completed in 1997 along with its two other components--Structural Plan and Urban Area Plan of the DMDP.

Rajuk's dubious role in preparing the DAP just facilitated the private land developers in destruction of city's topographic landscape and natural environment, wetlands, flood retention basins and open spaces within and in the periphery of the city, they said.