Speaker looking into plan

Speaker Abdul Hamid said in parliament yesterday he is personally looking into the proposed metro rail line, a portion of which will now run through the parliament complex.
The speaker made the comment when Jatiya Party lawmaker Mujib-ul-Haque Chunnu raised the issue in the House.
Cutting him short, Hamid said, “We're examining everything -- surveying the 215-acre area of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban and also looking into the design of architect Louis I Kahn.”
“We're yet to get papers and documents of the proposed route. But I'm trying to get the overall idea of the project.”
He added that it is not the proper time to discuss the issue in the House, and lawmakers will be allowed to speak about the matter in parliament when necessary.
Earlier speaking in point of order, Chunnu said the JS complex is a unique resource of the country. Realigning the metro route through the JS complex will damage its original design.
The government has recently accepted the Bangladesh Air Force proposal to realign the route through Khamarbari. According to the original plan, it was to have run through Bijoy Sarani.
The air force argues that a metro rail line through Bijoy Sarani would obstruct its flight operations from the Tejgaon airfield.
Experts involved in the project say if the route is modified, an estimated 55 metres of the JS complex will be needed to set up pillars for the metro line.
Considering the architectural splendour of the famed complex, Abdul Hamid earlier told The Daily Star that he will not allow the line to run through the parliament premises.