Immediate steps needed to solve housing problem

BRAC University recently has published a research report on the capital's housing problem. Some anxious information over the obstacles in housing sector were highlighted in the report.

Adequacy of housing in the capital, ability of the city dwellers, quality of basic rights in housing area, disaster preparedness, security of dwellers and others issues were pointed out in the report titled 'City Condition-2017' by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD).

BIGD took support from the government, United Nation (UN), NOG and RAJUK during making the report. The report said, the city is getting around 25,000 new housing units every year against the staggering demand for at least 120,000 new accommodations, leading to the higher rent. It is very inadequate. Thirty percent incomes of city dwellers were spent in accommodation expenditure. But, there is no emergency exit system in 95 percent houses. Even, some of the residences have the system but not identified or marked. Besides, there is no proper preparation system to face fire hazard. The matter is quite alarming.

The report also claimed, about 82 percent people spent 30 percent of their earning in house rent. Besides 68 percent people said they have no interest to buy flat in Dhaka as they have no savings to do so. Most of the people do not want to buy flat or house taking bank loan due to various types of complexity. Most of the city dwellers gave priority to the office and residence location. The reason behind this is - traffic jam in Dhaka city.

Real-estate businessmen usually target the upper and upper middle class people during flat sale. The people are also interested to buy flats from private companies rather than Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) projects. Banks provide 70 percent amount of money as loan. Meanwhile, the buyers pay the rest of 30 percent. That’s why many buyers lost interest as the huge amount of 30 percent became a burden to them sometimes. In this case, the report suggested the government to introduce housing bond or municipal bond to promote housing and real-estate sector. Long-term financing by bond would help rejuvenate the housing sector.

Basically, middle-class and low-income people suffer most to due crisis in housing sector. It becomes a difficult to be an owner of a dreamy flat in city. A huge amount of registration fee is seemed to the buyer as another burden after buying flat. Accommodation is one of the basic human rights. So, we expect the entrepreneurs in this sector and the government will take immediate steps to solve the crisis and sufferings ensuring basic human right.



risingbd/Dhaka/Jan 5, 2018/Ali Nowsher/Nasim/Mukul