Protect ‘oxygen centre’ of port city
People from all strata of life, including writers, artists, cultural activists and lawyers, came together at Shahbagh to protest the government decision of building a hospital in the CRB area of the port city.
They held a protest rally in front of the national museum under the banner of "Pratibadi Sangskritik Samabesh".
As part of it, various cultural events were held which included poetry recitation, street plays and painting.
CRB, the headquarters of Bangladesh Railway's east zone, is surrounded by hills, hillocks and valleys with a number of century-old trees. The area is considered the "oxygen centre" of the city. It is also a habitat for different species of birds and wild animals.
"Building a hospital by destroying the oxygen centre of Chattogram city is nothing but a cruel joke...," said Prof Anu Muhammad, member secretary of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports.
"There are many other places to build a hospital. The responsibility of the government is to protect the interests of people not some individuals," he added.
Supreme Court lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua said the government should take steps to protect the CRB area first, instead of hiring a private company to build a hospital destroying nature.
"We will go for a tougher movement if the project is not stopped," said Mahfuzur Rahman, coordinator of CRB Rakkha Mancha.
Speakers at the event also called upon all to raise their voices in this regard.
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