The High Court on Sunday issued a rule suo moto asking the government to explain in two weeks why it would not be directed to demolish the 16-story BGMEA building constructed on Hatirjheel lake in Dhaka.
The housing and public works ministry and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha were also asked to explain why punitive action would not be taken against the officials concerned responsible for the construction of the building without Rajuk approval.
The bench of Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury and Justice Fara Mahbub issued the suo moto rule in response to a report front-paged in New Age on October 2 headline ‘No plan to demolish unauthorised BGMEA building soon.’
The housing and public works secretary, Rajuk and its authorised officer, BGMEA president, Dhaka deputy commissioners and Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner were asked to reply to the rule.
Calling the court’s attention to the report, Supreme Court lawyer DHM Muniruzzaman, prayed for the issuance of rule.
The counsel told the court that Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association built the building in 1998 without bothering about taking approval from the city development authority Rajuk.
In 2007, Rajuk fined the BGMEA a nominal penalty of Tk 12.5 lakh for building the structure without obtaining approval.
He also said the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, inaugurated the construction of the BGMEA building during her first tenure in government in November 1998 and subsequently, on its completion, the then prime minister Khaleda Zia inaugurated the building in October 2006.
To a question of the court about how he came to know of the information, the counsel submitted New Age report printed in its October 2 issue which contained the fact.
After reading the report and hearing lawyer’s submission, the court issued the rule. Assistant attorney general Rahima Khatun was present during the hearing.
Welcoming the court order, the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association executive director, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, said, ‘It is not acceptable that an unauthorised building will stand on a lake. The government should have demolished the building before it was moved in court.’
The BGMEA president, Abdus Salam Murshedy, declined comments on the rule.
A Tk 1,480-crore project of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, was planned long ago to reclaim and preserve as much as possible the remnants of Hatirjheel and Begunbari lakes.
The project envisages construction of circular roads around the two lakes, once part of a long canal.
