Plots in five categories likely to be allotted without lottery

Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha did not draw lottery to select the allottees under five categories though it allotted 520 plots of Jhilmil Residential Area in Keraniganj area through lottery on Wednesday.
The five categories are lawyers, engineers, physicians, agriculturists and journalists.    
RAJUK is expected to allot about 1,200 plots in its Jhilmil Residential Area project in Keraniganj under different categories.
On Wednesday, it allotted 520 plots through lottery under the categories of remittance earners, businessmen and industrialists, private job holders, private teachers, personalities of art, literature and sports, families of freedom fighters and government and autonomous body officials and employees.
The rest of the plots will be distributed among government and autonomous body officials and employees belonging to grade 1 to 9 and army personnel apart from applicants under the five categories.
Besides, some 10 per cent of the rest of the plots will be preserved for the Prime Minister for distribution at her own discretion while lawmakers, state ministers, ministers, judges, speakers and deputy speakers will qualify directly to have plots.   
The city development authority said it would hold talks with the leaders of five professional bodies to decide whether it would need to draw lottery to pick up the allottees.
‘The state minister for housing and public works, Abdul Mannan Khan, will talk to the professional bodies to decide what would be the way to pick allottees under the five categories,’ RAJUK chairman Nurul Huda told New Age after the lottery on Wednesday.
He hoped that a decision will come in the next 10 days in this regard.
Asked whether there is any scope to draw lottery to pick plot winners under the five categories or whether it will chose lottery to distribute at least 50 per cent of the plots or all the plots under the categories in line with lists to be prepared by the leaders of the professional bodies, the Rajuk chairman said ‘anything can happen’.
The plots meant for the officials of the government offices and the autonomous bodies will be distributed, based on the seniority and service rule while the plots meant for army personnel will be allotted in line with the list to be prepared by the army headquarters, he said.
The lottery was held at Osmani Memorial Hall in the capital. Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology assisted in the process.
As RAJUK did not draw lottery to allot plot under the five categories, a group of journalists, lawyers and other professionals who applied for the plots asked the state minister for housing and public works at Osmani Memorial Hall on the sideline of the programme to draw lottery to select the allottees under the five categories like other categories was done in the past.
In reply, Abdul Mannan Khan requested them to communicate with their leaders to decide the system of the allotment.
‘If your leaders tell me that the lottery will have to be drawn, I will do so,’ said Mannan Khan.
RAJUK allotted 115 plots of five katha and 405 of three katha under nine categories.
Of the total plots, 100 have been allotted for remittance earners, 120 for businessmen and industrialists, 100 for private job holders, 20 for private teachers, 20 for other private job holders, 20 for personalities of art/literature and sports, 10 for families of those who have the title of freedom fighter, 10 for the families of martyred freedom fighters, 10 for injured freedom fighters, 20 for freedom fighters’ families, 50 for government officials and 40 for officials and employees of autonomous bodies.
A total of 19,358 applicants were qualified for the lottery for 1,090 plots under Jhilmil project. There were 37 candidates against each plot.
RAJUK initiated the application procedure for allotment under different categories last June and accepted submissions till October.
The plots are expected to be handed over in three years.
Abdul Mannan Khan said the government has taken up initiative to construct flats due to the existing land crisis and it would no more follow the allot plots.
Instead, the capital development authority would be building multi-storied apartment complexes and sell ready-to-live flats through lottery, he added.