RAJUK shutters 8 restaurants, demolishes one in raid on Gawsia Twin Peak building

The capital development authority RAJUK has shuttered eight restaurants in a raid on the Gawsia Twin Peak building in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi.

It also demolished one that was built in breach of the law and cut off power to another, according to Ehsan Ahmed, authorised RAJUK officer.

The raid started around 10:45 am on Monday when RAJUK officials entered the building, he said. A restaurant on the roof was demolished first. RAJUK officials said it was not part of the building’s plans.

"Our team conducted an inspection. A rooftop restaurant has been demolished as part of the eviction efforts," said Ashraful Islam, the chief planner of the agency.

The inspection revealed that the Gawsia Twin Peak building houses over a dozen restaurants, despite regulations prohibiting such use, reports bdnews24.com.

The building, initially approved for a height of 150 feet, was found to have been illegally extended by an additional 40 feet.

The scrutiny of the building's compliance was prompted by a Facebook post from its architect, Mustapha Khalid Palash, following the deaths of 46 people in a fire at the seven-storey Green Cozy Cottage on Bailey Road.

Palash alerted people to the dangers of dining in the restaurants situated in the building, alleging that the constructor, Gawsia Developers Limited, has not been utilising the structure as originally intended.

After inspecting the site on Sunday, Md Hamidul Islam, director of Region-5 at RAJUK, said that the 14-storey commercial building, which includes a basement, was classified as 'F-1 occupancy', meaning it should serve as office space rather than host restaurants.

The building currently accommodates offices on its second and 13th floors, with the rest leased to shops and 15 restaurants.

The situation mirrors that of Green Cozy Cottage, which, despite being an office building, had its spaces rented to restaurants.

The eateries were granted trade licences by the city corporation, while receiving safety clearances from the Fire Service and Civil Defence and the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, according to RAJUK officials.

The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has initiated a mobile court drive to investigate and address irregularities found at buildings along Dhanmondi's Satmasjid Road.

The operation started at 2:30pm under the supervision of Executive Magistrate Jahangir Alam, according to DSCC spokesperson Abu Naser.