Remove recreation centre from river
The High Court has directed Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to demolish and remove within 30 days its recreation centre in the Buriganga river in Kamrangirchar area of the capital.
In a judgment yesterday, the court declared construction of the recreation centre in the river illegal.
An HC bench comprised of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain came up with the verdict after hearing a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh.
According to the verdict, the BIWTA chairman and its director (port) have to take steps to demolish and remove the recreation centre.
The rights body filed the writ petition as a public interest litigation in May this year on the basis of a report of the daily Prothom Alo that the BIWTA had been constructing a recreation centre in the Buriganga.
On May 16, the HC issued a rule on the government asking it to maintain status quo for three months over construction of the recreation centre. It also asked the government to explain why construction of the recreation centre should not be declared illegal, and why it should not be directed to remove the structures.
Hearing on the writ petition took place yesterday.
Manzill Murshid appeared for the petitioner and Deputy Attorney General Nazrul Islam Talukder represented the government.
Contacted later, Manzill mentioned that the BIWTA is constructing the recreation centre ignoring an earlier HC judgment.
In that judgement delivered on June 25 last year, the court ordered the government to remove all structures excepting those for public service from the rivers Buriganga, Shitalakhya, Turag and Balu.
And the Supreme Court upheld the HC verdict, Manzill said.
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