Fresh earth filling in Gulshan Lake
Gulshan-Banani lake once again falls victim to earth filling in disregard to environmental laws.Photo: STAR
The authorities have started fresh earth-filling in the Gulshan-Banani Lake for construction of a connecting road, in disregard to the environmental laws, a High Court directive and widespread public outcry against the move.
Md. Haider Ali, project director of the Gulshan-Banani Link Bridge had earlier said that they would start earth removal from lakebed by October 26.
But the project authorities are now filling truckloads of fresh earth into the lake to rebuild road no-35/A to connect one arm of the Y-shaped bridge with Gulshan road-34.
Local Government Engineering Division (LGED) is implementing the project.
The government declared the water body as ecologically in critical state in 2001.
The under-construction approach road between Gulshan road no-35/A and 34 is being built occupying a part of the lake's eastern bank, according to officials concerned.
The Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD) ministry has undertaken the bridge project across Gulshan-Banani Lake without carrying out prior environmental impact assessment and environmental clearance.
The project authorities were required to obtain environmental clearance certificate as per Environmental Conservation Act of 1995 and in accordance with rule 7(6) of the Environmental Conservation Rules (ECR) of 1997.
They were also required to carry out a prior Viability Assessment Report, an Initial Environmental Examination and an Environmental Management Plan, for the project.
The project authorities earth-filled a huge swath of the lake for construction of ramp, cantilever and approach road of the bridge.
Implementation of the project started in October last year but obtained a site clearance from the department of environment in March this year.
The Ministry of LGRD initially undertook the 90-metre long bridge project to connect 60-foot wide commercial road no-11 in Banani with 40-foot wide residential road no-41 in Gulshan. At halfway of project implementation they revised the project proposal and made it a Y-shaped bridge connecting Gulshan road no-35/A, which is a dead end.
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