Questions Raised Over Suspicious Proposal to Commercialise Prime Gulshan WASA Land

In the heart of Dhaka’s prosperous Gulshan-2 district, where vacant space has become a rare commodity, a 114-katha plot of lush, tree-covered land owned by Dhaka WASA has drawn intense scrutiny. Located along Road 55 on the banks of Gulshan Lake, the property—estimated by real estate insiders to be worth nearly 1,140 crore taka—has suddenly become the focal point of a contentious joint-venture residential proposal submitted by a private developer.

The Developer’s Proposal and Political Links

A private developer named Assure Development and Design has submitted a joint-venture pitch to construct a 19-storey “icon category” luxury residential tower on the site. Under the terms proposed by the company, the developer would fund the estimated 400 crore taka construction cost in exchange for a 49 percent ownership stake in the finished complex, leaving Dhaka WASA with the remaining 51 percent. Assure Development’s Chairman, Md Sheikh Sadi, serves as the joint convener of the Kushtia District BNP and previously sought nomination for the Kushtia-4 parliamentary seat.

The developer’s outline details plans to construct approximately 150 high-end apartments over a five-year period, with each unit exceeding 4,700 square feet. Local estate agents note that luxury flats in Gulshan typically command around 25,000 taka per square foot, which would place the total valuation of the completed residential complex at upwards of 1,763 crore taka.

Regulatory Concerns and Internal Resistance

The move to hand over public sector real estate to a private developer has provoked sharp criticism from urban planners and civil society figures. Questions have arisen regarding how the unsolicited proposal made its way through ministerial channels to the Dhaka WASA board and why an internal evaluation committee was so swiftly established to assess it.

• Land Origin: The 114-katha plot was originally allocated to Dhaka WASA by the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkhya (RAJUK) under a 99-year lease signed in 2009 for a nominal fee, strictly backdated to commence from 1964.

• Lease Restrictions: Statutory lease agreements explicitly prohibit unauthorized ownership transfers or land-use changes without prior written sanction from RAJUK.

• Current Usage: The secure compound presently houses a designated rest house for the WASA Managing Director, administrative structures, a paved walking trail, and residences for four senior officials.

• Administrative Pushback: An internal three-member committee formed on 16 July to review the proposal faced heavy opposition during a performance support committee meeting, preventing the measure from securing immediate approval.

Expert Critique and Institutional Integrity

Urban planning experts have voiced strong concern over the wisdom of converting one of Gulshan’s few remaining green spaces into high-density commercial housing. Professor Adil Mohammad Khan of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Jahangirnagar University stressed that state assets must not be converted into private commercial vehicles, calling for a transparent investigation into the interests driving the initiative.

Questions also remain regarding the utility of the proposed 77 luxury flats that WASA would inherit. With unit sizes exceeding even the 3,500-square-foot apartments allocated to government secretaries in Iskaton, standard WASA officials would not qualify to occupy such sprawling quarters under existing entitlement rules.

Addressing the issue, Dhaka WASA Managing Director Md Aminul Islam stated that the proposal remains strictly preliminary and maintained that any further decisions would prioritize organizational interests over external pressure. Meanwhile, RAJUK Chairman Md Riazul Islam confirmed that his agency has not received formal notification regarding the project, adding that WASA must strictly abide by the contractual conditions governing state-allocated land.