An initiative has been taken to reorganize the Dhaka Zilla Parishad by bringing under the revenue umbrella the assets that have been stuck in encroachment, mismanagement and stagnation for years. The revenue collection target for the 2026-27 fiscal year has been set at Tk 100 crore, doubling the previous year. In addition to increasing revenue by utilizing unoccupied land, markets and various establishments, changes are also being made in administrative activities.
Dhaka Zilla Parishad Administrator Yasin Ferdous Morad claims that nearly 70 percent of the district council’s unclaimed assets have been recovered in the last four months since he took office. At the same time, initiatives have been taken to collect arrears of revenue from various markets and activate long-stalled projects.
Sources said that the district council has already undertaken several major projects to increase revenue. These include canceling the previous tender for the 20-storey Dhaka Tower, which has been closed for 12 years, and appointing a contractor through a new tender, constructing a multi-storey building and market in place of the Zia Auditorium in Keraniganj, renovating the Jinjira Auditorium, constructing three modern markets in Savar and one in Hemayetpur, and constructing a multi-storey building and community center in Katabon. Apart from this, there are plans to increase revenue from the Kaliganj Zilla Parishad market and recover and settle 407 acres of unclaimed land.
Yasin Ferdous Morad said that he wants to utilize the potential of the District Council and take the institution forward on the path of transparency, accountability, development and prosperity. Stating that markets are being given special importance in terms of revenue collection, he further claimed that for the last 15 years, revenue of 10 to 12 taka per square foot was collected from various markets of the District Council. Currently, it has been increased to 150 taka. He also claimed that about 90 percent of the arrears of the markets have been collected.
According to the district council, 90 acres (27 percent) of land is in Savar upazila, 94 acres (32 percent) in Dhamrai, 23 acres (63 percent) in Doha, 68 acres (41 percent) in Nawabganj, 36 acres (43 percent) in Keraniganj and 89 acres (23 percent) in various areas of Dhaka city. In total, about 407 acres of land have been encroached on in the last 17 years, the district council said. Of this, about 70 percent of the land has already been de-encroached, the administrator claims.
The land of Zia Auditorium in Shubhadhya Mouza of Keraniganj has also been recovered. The district council has collected 6.5 lakh taka in revenue by settling the land for one year. The Roads and Highways Department is owed about 5.5 crore taka as compensation for taking a part of this land. The administrator claims that the money could not be collected because the previous officials were not aware of the matter.
The district council also owns 27 percent of the land in Dhaka’s Katabon. Former DNCC mayor Fazle Noor Taposh had piled up the land to build an auditorium. Currently, initiatives have been taken to liberate the land and construct a multi-storey building including an auditorium there.
Along with land that is free from encroachment, importance is also being given to property protection. Yasin Ferdous Morad said that all the properties of the district council will be brought under digital management and information about each place will be stored. In addition to organizing random papers, records of land-related cases will also be stored. The goal is to recover the remaining 30 percent of encroached land within the next 5 to 6 months.
Meanwhile, the administrator said that in the last 4 months, 300 million taka has been allocated for the development work of the district council in the 2025-26 fiscal year. Work worth 20 to 25 million taka has also been received from the ADB.
Regarding Dhaka Tower, Morad said, “The construction of the 20-storey building under construction has been stopped for 12 years. There was no approval from RAJUK. Former Awami League State Minister Mirza Azam has given the work to Toma Construction by force. Now we have taken permission from RAJUK. After the survey, preparations are underway to invite tenders in the second round in coordination with PWD, LGED and Zilla Parishad officials. The tender for Jinjira Community Center in Keraniganj has already been completed. Work is expected to start there in a few days.”
On the other hand, 1.5 crore taka in revenue has already been collected from the Kaliganj Zilla Parishad market in Keraniganj. The Zilla Parishad administrator said that another revenue collection drive will be conducted there from next September.
Yasin Ferdous Morad said that the works that were stalled and closed in the past two years have been restarted. Initiatives have been taken to quickly implement necessary projects by canceling activities that are against the public interest.
