Demolition of BGMEA building demanded

This undated file photo shows the 15-storey BGMEA building on Begunbari-Hatirjheel canal on the foreground near Sonargaon Hotel in the capital.

The government must demolish the illegally-constructed BGMEA building to free Begunbari canal before Hatirjheel development scheme opens to public, environmental and civic activists demanded at a demonstration on Saturday.
The prime minister is expected to open the Hatirjheel-Begunbari project along with civic facilities that include Panthapath-Rampura connectivity, ring road and waterfront recreational space to public on January 2.
The organisations of Citizens Rights Movement, Initiative for Peace, Sangkhubdha Nagarik Samaj and Combined Movement for Wetland Protection along with a number of other civic groups organised the demonstration in front of the 15-storey building in the capital's Karwan Bazar area.
The prime minister should take initiative on demolishing the building of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), before she opens the Hatirjheel civic amenities, said columnist Syed Abul Maksud.
The building had already been declared illegal by the High Court, Maksud added.
The other speakers echoed him.
Government pursued a legal battle tooth and nail to pull down Rangs building for the interests of people, he said.
However, Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, president of the BGMEA, said they filed an appeal petition with the Supreme Court following the HC order, but the issue is now pending with the Appellate Division for final decision.
Bhashkar Rasha, a well-known sculptor, said the BGMEA building remains as a slur on the aesthetics of Hatirjheel-Begunbari project.
Besides, the HC order for demolishing the building, the government is also obliged by the wetland conservation law to remove the building standing like a monster right on the bosom of a flowing canal, said Iqbal Syed Rana, convener of Combined Movement for Wetland Protection.
The government was relentlessly proactive in evicting the opposition leader from her cantonment house and splitting Dhaka City Corporation into two defying public opinion but it remains silent on removing the BGMEA building despite High Court order, said Hasibur Rahman Moyna, a member of environmentalist group Bapa.
Sharif Jamil, joint secretary of Bapa, said accommodating illegal BGMEA building in Hatirjheel-Begunbari scheme is also discreditable for the army, who implemented the scheme.
Television anchor Muhammad Jahangir and Bapa member Ruhin Hossain Prince among others expressed solidarity with the demand.