Nagar Unnayan Committee (NUC) of the housing and public works ministry at a seminar yesterday proposed to start housing projects in the city to meet the housing needs especially for the poor, low income and middle income groups in a planned manner. Prof Nazrul Islam of the NUC presented a study paper titled 'A proposal for a housing development programme in Dhaka city' along with architect Salma A Shafi at the seminar at the auditorium of the Department of Public Works with its Secretary ASM Rashidul Hai in the chair. Two million housing units are required in the first phase in the city, said Prof Nazrul, adding that of them, 0.82 million units would go to the low-income group and 1.1 million are required for the middle-income group. A three-phase proposal for the projects was made in the seminar. The 17-year projects would be launched for poor, slum dwellers, low income, middle income and upper income groups. The first phase will be implemented from 2008 to 2013, second phase is from 2013 to 2018 and the third from 2018 to 2025. Prof Nazrul further said the study has been undertaken as per directives of the chief adviser to the NUC in order to guide the government in formulating a housing development programme for the city with particular attention to the needs of the poor and low-income groups. He expressed hope that the caretaker government within its tenure will take up at least one project, more specifically for the rehabilitation of 60,000 households evicted in February last year. In the first phase, the NUC proposed to construct 1,09,200 shelter units for squatters at government land at Mirpur section-6, 11, 12, existing old squatter areas at Mirpur, Rayerbazar, Kalyanpur and Kuril areas. It also proposed to construct 3,10,800 unit shelters for slum dwellers under the new housing areas within Dhaka metropolitan areas -- Uttara Phase-III and Purbachal, large-scale low-cost housing in Tongi, Gazipur and Narayanganj and private land in Keraniganj, Demra and Savar. Another proposal was made to construct 11,00,000 shelter units for the middle income group by renewing old housing areas, Rajuk-developed existing housing areas and at new satellite towns -- Jhilmil, Purbachal, Ashuliya and Uttara Phase-III. The NUC also proposed to construct 80,000 units for the upper income group at the existing redevelopment housing areas, new real estate development and holiday homes in outlying areas of the GDA. According to the study, Dhaka city now contains 40 percent of the national urban population and more than 35 percent of the people living in the city are residents of slums and squatter settlements. Differing the proposals of the committee, Secretary ASM Rashidul Hai said Dhaka is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Discouraging more people to come in the city, he said, "We have to go outside of Dhaka with new projects to reduce the burden of the city.' Speaking as the chief guest, environmentalist and founder of Bishwa Sahitya Kendra Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed said the study should provide more concrete suggestions about the way of constructing the habitats of poor and lower income groups. Architect Dr Mahbubur Rahman, Rehab President Tanvirul Haque Probal, Dr AQM Mahabub of Dhaka University, former chief town planner of Rajuk Shawkat Ali, project director of Detailed Area Plan Tapan Kumar Nath and Additional Chief Engineer of Departments of Public Works Sayed Jahangir Kabir also spoke.