Bangladesh Approves Malaysia's Offer To Construct 8,400 Flats - Report

NEW DELHI, July 8 (Bernama) -- Bangladesh's Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved, in principle, an offer from the Malaysian government to construct 8,400 residential flats for Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), the capital development authority, the United News of Bangladesh reported. The committee, at a meeting with Finance Minister AMA Muhith, approved the proposal with some recommendations, the news agency quoted Cabinet Division Joint Secretary Mustafizur Rahman as saying after the meeting on Sunday. The report, however, said Mustafizur did not disclose any details of the recommendations. The Malaysian government offered to construct the flats under a government-to-government agreement on a design-build-transfer basis. To this effect, Rajuk and the Malaysian authority have already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in April. After the Cabinet approval, Rajuk will sign the final agreement with the Malaysian authority for implementing the project, said the report. As per the proposal, the Malaysian government will construct a total of 100 multi-storey buildings in Uttara Residential Model Town in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Each of the buildings will be 16-storeys high and have 84 flats. The report also said quoted Rajuk officials as saying that the Malaysian authority will be responsible for designing and building the apartments within 30 months from the date of signing the final agreement. Rajuk will finance the project from its own sources. The officials also said they planned to build a total of 12,000 apartments in block B and C in Uttara project. After 8,400 flats, the remaining 3,600 apartments will be built under a second phase under another contract with the Malaysian authority. They said Malaysia will use modern technology to build the high-rise buildings which will cover everything, including keeping the buildings risk-free from earthquake and other natural calamities. Bangladesh signed an MoU with Malaysia on April 28 to build a 13-km flyover and 12,000 apartments in Uttara. The flyover will be constructed from Shantinagar to Jhilmil Project in Keraniganj while the 12,000 apartments will be constructed under Uttara's third phase, said the report. -- BERNAMA