Is Rajuk's centralisation move a step backward? 

Infographic: TBS

Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk)'s decision to centralise its services by relocating the Estate and Land Development Wing from its Zone-2 office in Uttara to the main office in Motijheel has drawn criticism from both urban planners and city dwellers.

This shift marks a reversal of Rajuk's previous decentralisation effort, which aimed to provide services across eight zones for easier access to customers. 

Around 2007-2008, during the caretaker government, the Estate and Land Development Wing was set up in the Zone-2 office, the only fully equipped office of Rajuk, to reduce inconvenience for local customers.

However, Rajuk's recent decision to centralise its services once again and manage the Estate and Land Development Wing exclusively from the main office in Motijheel has sparked concerns about the added inconvenience for citizens. 

The wing handles critical tasks such as inheritance-based land registration, property transfer, building design approval, loan allocation, and plot conversion, among others.

Alauddin Khondkar, a customer at Rajuk's Zone-2 office, expressed his frustration, saying, "Because my mother's property is being divided among us siblings, I have to bring my elderly mother to the zonal office every few days. 

"But if the Estate and Land Development Wing is moved to Motijheel, it will only increase our problems. It will be very hard for my elderly mother to travel there. Instead of making such a rash decision, Rajuk should make its services more accessible."

Md Asaduzzaman Biswas, deputy director (Estate & Land-2), Rajuk, confirmed the relocation, saying, "The decision to relocate the office has been made. It will take about two months to move from this office to the main office. This decision was made in the Rajuk board meeting to avoid the daily hassle of transporting files back and forth. There will be some inconvenience for the public when the office is moved to the main office."

Urban planners and experts argue that decentralising Rajuk's services was crucial for improving accessibility, and centralising them now is not a wise move. 

Adil Mohammed Khan, president of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners, criticised the decision, saying, "There is no benefit to having zonal offices for Rajuk if they are not fully functional. Rajuk should have been decentralised a long time ago, but instead, centralising it is a decision that goes against the public. Customers will face inconvenience and harassment when they go to the main office for services."

Rajuk's Chief Town Planner Md Ashraful Islam defended the centralisation move, saying, "Only the estate office in Uttara is being moved to the central office. The estate offices of the other seven zones are already at the main office. 

"We often see that customers' files, worth millions, get lost. Incidents of losing important documents occur when files are transported daily from the zonal offices to the main office."

He added, "By moving the office to the head office, the incidents of bribery will decrease. However, customers may experience some discomfort. The travel between Uttara and the main office will cause some inconvenience." 

Ashraful Islam also mentioned that Rajuk is also working to bring its management online. 

"We have assigned a company to fully digitise Rajuk's management and e-file every document. It may take some time, but once completed, customers will no longer face any hassle," he added.

Meanwhile, residents in Uttara have protested the relocation, forming a human chain and submitting a memorandum to the Rajuk chairman.

Mohammad Jamal Uddin Bhuiyan, a customer, criticised the reasoning behind the move, saying, "The reason they're giving for moving the office—about files being lost—is more likely to happen at the main office. From the Motijheel main office, Rajuk lost the files of 41 customers from the Uttara 3rd Phase project. 

"Regardless of where the files are, it is Rajuk's responsibility to keep them secure. We want Rajuk to reconsider its decision and not go against its customers."

Rajuk, originally established in 1956 as the Dhaka Improvement Trust under The Town Improvement Act of 1953, evolved into its current form in 1987. It now manages an expansive area of 1,094 sq km. 

The organisation now operates through several zonal offices, with Zone-1 (Ashulia, Dhamsona) and Zone-2 (Uttara, Tongi, Gazipur) based in Uttara; Zone-3 (Savar, Mirpur) and Zone-4 (Gulshan, Mohakhali, Purbachal) located in Mohakhali; Zone-5 (Dhanmondi, Lalbag) situated in Panthapath; Zone-6 (Motijheel, Bhulta) and Zone-7 (Keraniganj, Jhilmil, Sutrapur) housed in separate buildings in Motijheel; and Zone-8 (Narayangonj, Demra, Sonargaon) located at Signboard.