The draft amendment of the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) for the Dhaka Metropolitan Area has been finalised. 

A meeting chaired by Adilur Rahman Khan, Adviser for Housing and Public Works, was held on Sunday at the Secretariat, where the draft was prepared for submission to the DAP Advisory Council Committee for final approval. If all goes as planned, the official gazette notification may be published within a month.

The meeting included discussions on proposed amendments to the Dhaka Building Construction Rules 2025 and the DAP (2022–2035). Attendees included the Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, the Chairman of RAJUK (Capital Development Authority), the Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Presidents of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners and the Institute of Architects Bangladesh, the Vice-President of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, and the Chief Engineers of both the Public Works Department and the Roads and Highways Department, among other senior officials.

According to sources, a total of 37 meetings were held in preparation for the amendments—3 at the adviser level, 4 at the secretary level, 10 by a ministry-formed committee, and 20 stakeholder consultations organised by RAJUK. Consensus on the draft was reached based on proposals and feedback gathered during these meetings.

Key decisions were made at the meeting regarding the Floor Area Ratio (FAR), including road-based FAR, area-based FAR, and population density determination. Minor adjustments were made to the FAR of 16 population density blocks in rural areas, while the FAR for central and urban zones will remain unchanged. It was also decided that housing units will be determined based on the 2011 Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) household size data.

As the DAP (2022–2035) policy stipulates updates every five years, a technical committee will be formed within the next year to develop and upgrade the plan. This committee will provide policy and technical recommendations to RAJUK with the goal of improving Dhaka’s liveability.

Regarding the matter, RAJUK's Chief Urban Planner Ashraful Islam told the media that the draft amendment to the DAP has been finalised and will now be sent to the Advisory Council Committee for final approval.

When asked how long the final approval might take, he added, “Since the draft has already received consent from all relevant parties under the chairmanship of the Housing and Public Works Adviser, we hope the gazette will be published within the next month following the advisory council’s approval.”