Three organisations have raised concerns over alleged extortion, illegal occupation and drug dealing in and around the Rajuk Uttara Apartment Project (RUAP), accusing a group of individuals of exploiting the absence of effective management to engage in unlawful activities.
Nisarga Nilima, Clean RUAP and Gono-Osochetonota organised a human chain at Gate 6 of the residential project in Uttara’s Sector 18, under Turag Police Station, at 10am on Friday, 9 October, to protest the alleged activities and raise awareness among residents, the organisers said in a press release.
The groups alleged that the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) had left the country’s largest housing project in a neglected state despite taking an additional 10 years to complete work intended to address the housing needs of low- and middle-income people.
They said Rajuk issued a project completion notice around the middle of this year, although numerous facilities remained unfinished and unallocated flats were still available in almost every building.
The unfinished facilities include the RUAP commercial complex, community centre, parking building, swimming pool and gymnasium complex.
According to the organisers, Rajuk declared the project completed without adequately finishing the work, leaving the residential complex without effective oversight.
They alleged that a small group of opportunists had taken advantage of the situation to run extortion rackets, occupy spaces illegally and conduct drug-related activities within the residential complex and surrounding areas.
The groups further claimed that those involved were profiting from these activities while drawing young residents into unlawful operations, putting their futures at risk.
They said many low- and middle-income families had invested their lifetime savings in flats at the project but had not received possession within the promised timeframe.
Despite those financial sacrifices, residents now faced growing uncertainty because of the lack of effective management and the alleged activities of criminal groups, the organisers said.
The organisations warned that the combination of unfinished facilities, inadequate oversight and alleged criminal activities had placed the residential community at serious risk.
They called attention to the deteriorating situation through the human chain, seeking to raise awareness among RUAP residents about the problems affecting their neighbourhood.
