Dhaka: The Cabinet on Monday accepted four recommendations placed by the Local Government Division to remove unauthorised bars, guesthouses and hotels from residential areas of the cities across the country after giving them a six-month deadline.

The Local Government Division placed a report with four specific recommendations before the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Mohamnad Shafiul Alam said the Local Government Division after holding meetings with various ministries, including Home Ministry, Internal Resources Division, Housing and Public Works Ministry, has prepared the report and placed it before the cabinet.

The four recommendations include ensuring parking facility at the basement and underground parking in all residential plots.  

If these parking areas are used for commercial purposes, then Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) and city corporations will jointly take action for removing those illegal structures while the city corporations and the agencies concerned under the Housing and Public Works Ministry would take necessary steps in this regard outside the capital.

Another recommendation is that the Ministry of Home Affairs will take necessary measures for cancelling bar licenses in residential areas as well as removing those alongside not issuing any license for setting up bars in residential areas.

Rajuk, city corporations and housing authorities concerned, will take steps so that no unauthorised guesthouse and hotel could operate in residential areas.  

Those establishments will be given six months’ time to remove and shift their businesses on their own. In case of failure, the authorities remove those. ‘This is not an aggressive or hostile approach, rather a sort of guideline and the stakeholders concerned will be convinced to do so,’ the Cabinet Secretary added.

Under the fourth recommendation, in case of failure, Rajuk, city corporations concerned and national housing authority will take joint actions to remove the operations of such uunauthorised businesses in residential areas after six months’ effective from the date of Cabinet decision.  

Besides, he said, the trade licenses of those organisations issued by the city corporations would be cancelled alongside disconnecting their utility services lines. The collection of VAT and taxes from those unauthorised entities will also remain stopped.

Mohammad Shafiul Alam said this decision has been taken to bring back the residential nature of those residential areas for continuing efforts to build planned cities.

He also informed the timeframe could be extended later, if necessary.