But what about the trees?
The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs yesterday submitted a meeting resolution centring the construction of an independence monument at the capital's Suhrawardy Udyan to the High Court. The resolution, however, did not specify any decisions on whether the old and ecologically important trees will be cut.
Environmentalists have been demanding the government refrain from any further tree felling in the historic Suhrawardy Udyan for various projects to save the environment.
The ministry has prepared the resolution of the views-exchange meeting held on June 24. Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque presided over the meeting, where several professionals, including professors of Dhaka University and journalists, attended.
Yesterday, the ministry placed a copy of the resolution to the HC through Deputy Attorney General Samarendranath Biswas during hearing of a writ petition over this issue.
The HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice SM Maniruzzaman fixed Wednesday for hearing the matter, as writ petitioners' lawyer Syeda Rizwana Hasan said they will make a reply to the resolution after examining it.
According to the resolution, Minister Mozammel told the meeting that he will take an initiative to form a committee to recommend which species of trees will be planted at Suhrawardy Udyan, and will think about narrowing its pathways.
The minister said they are trying to properly preserve and protect the history of the Liberation War.
He also said a symbolic structure of the stage where Bangabandhu had delivered his historic March 7 speech has been established, according to the resolution.
Advocate Minhazul Haque Chowdhury, another lawyer for the petitioners, who went through the resolution, told The Daily Star that there is no decision on whether the old and ecologically important trees will be kept intact.
While hearing the petition filed by six rights bodies and an activist, an HC bench on June 29 sought the resolution of the ministry meeting held on June 24.
The petitioners claimed the ministry is sponsoring a project titled "Suhrawardy Udyane Swadhinata Stomvo Nirman -- Threetiya Porjay (Construction of Independence Monuments at Suhrawardy Udyan -- Third Phase)", which is being implemented by indiscriminately felling hundreds of old and ecologically important trees. Meanwhile on July 23, Minister Mozammel told this correspondent that cutting trees has already been stopped, and construction work will continue keeping the trees intact.
On May 9, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, Association for Land Reforms and Development, Nijera Kori, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon, Ain O Salish Kendra, and architect Mubasshir Hossain collectively filed the petition with the HC, seeking its directive on the government to stop any further tree felling at Suhrawardy Udyan.
In the petition, they prayed for an order that would tell the government to plant three times the number of trees felled in the name of implementing the project.
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