Rajuk issued a letter to BGMEA on July 30 directing it to pay penalty for not complying with the submitted plan and demolish those portions of the building already constructed but not included in the plan.

Rajuk chairman KAM Harun, said: "We had earlier notified the BGMEA and asked them to stop the construction without approved plan but they did not pay heed."

The BGMEA has also been asked to remove earth-filling on the canal in between the building and the main road and to build an approach road with a bridge over the canal as per the design at its own cost to facilitate water flow in the canal.

"We have sent the letter asking BGMEA to get the construction plan approved by paying ten times of the regular fees," said Rajuk's authorised officer Muzaffar Uddin.

"They have to pay a fine between Tk 5,000 to Tk 50,000 for constructing without approved plan and violation of other rules," he said. "The amount of fine will be determined by the Building Construction Committee."

Muzaffar said BGMEA did submit a construction plan to Rajuk, but it has finished the construction of the building near Sonargaon Hotel before obtaining approval.

Asked about the Rajuk notice, BGMEA President SM Fazlul Haque claimed that they have not received any such notice. "Isn't it too late now to raise questions in this regard? Foundation work and building construction took quite a long time ago. Why didn't they raise questions in the beginning?" asked the BGMEA president.

"We have an approved plan for construction. But the Rajuk asked us to meet two preconditions related to the approval." He could not say what the preconditions are. Regarding the approach bridge, he said they would build it.

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) has meanwhile carried out a survey on the entire Bengunbari canal stretching up to Rampura for a proposed development scheme drawn up by Rajuk.

According to sources, Rajuk asked BGMEA to submit any construction plan in consultation with Buet.

Prof. Mujibur Rahman, team leader of the Buet study group, said none of the organisations had come to them with the plan for consultation.

The BGMEA building is an infringement on the development scheme for the Begunbari canal, said Chief Engineer of Rajuk Emdadul Islam. The scheme includes three components -- beautification, protecting environment and facilitating sewerage flow.

"The environmental improvement plan in the Buet report says that the water body will have a 100-foot wide channel for water flow and sewage disposal," Islam said. "But the BGMEA building has blocked and filled up the channel."

Meanwhile the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel authorities too are constructing an extension of the hotel building in the Begunbari canal area without approved plan, Rajuk sources said adding that the hotel authorities have not submitted any plan at all to Rajuk.

"We have examined what violations they have committed and decided to issue a notice requesting them to produce a approved plan," said Muzaffar.

Another source in the Rajuk said neither BGMEA nor Sonargaon Hotel has obtained land use clearance from Rajuk's Town Planning section. When asked, Rajuk Town Planner Zahurul Haq said: "I'm not sure whether they have the clearance."

However, Project Engineer of Sonargaon Hotel Ershadul Haq claimed that they have both land use clearance and approved construction plan.

Asked why they did not submit the plan for the extension, Ershad said: "I think we have obtained all the permissions but to be sure I need to look into the documents."