Speakers, including local residents and environmentalists, on Friday continue to hold protest, demanding the cancellation of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway segment from Tejgaon to Plassey Crossing via Panthakunja Park and Hatirjheel Lake.
They made the demand at a citizens鈥� rally organised by the Bangladesh Tree Protection Movement and Panthakunja Prabhati Sangha inside the park at Banglamotor, where about several activists have been continuing a 24-hour sit-in since December 14 to press the demand.
The speakers also felt frustrated with the interim government, which assumed power after the fascist Awami League government was overthrown in the student-led July-August mass uprising, for continuing such an anti-people and anti-environment segment of the expressway.聽聽聽
Mizanur Rahman, a Jurain resident and activist, criticised the government for continuing such an environmentally destructive project amid severe air and dust pollution and for its 鈥榠ndifferent attitude鈥�, even though the sit-in programme entered the 14th day, with protesters falling ill.
The speakers said that although government officials, including Road Transport and Bridges adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan, Environment adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, and Industries adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, visited the protesters in the park on December 23, no decision had yet been made to address their demands.
鈥業t is unfortunate that they, especially adviser Fouzul, did not give priority to our demand,鈥� said Adil Mohammad Khan, a professor of Urban and Regional Planning at Jahangirnagar University.
The urban planner said that implementing this segment of the project, intended for private cars, and would not benefit citizens or the environment.
Instead, it would exacerbate traffic congestion on major city roads, including those near Dhaka University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Nilkhet, and Plassey, he added.
Protesters pointed out that most of the trees in the six-acre park, closed to the public since 2018, had already been cut down, and 41 pillars had been installed in Hatirjheel, partially filling the water body for the expressway extension up to Plassey Crossing.
Referring to a survey, researcher Pavel Partha said, 鈥楾here were 35 plant species, mostly indigenous, inside the park. By cutting down the trees, the authorities committed ecocide, destroying the habitats of urban wildlife.鈥�
Panthakunja Prabhati Sangha founding president K M Alamgir and its organising secretary Sirajuddin Tuhin said that they planted around 1,000 trees inside the park at different times.聽
At the rally, conducted by the Bangladesh Tree Protection Movement convener Amirul Rajiv, they also demanded accountability for officials involved in anti-public and anti-environment projects and the removal of the 41 pillars from Hatirjheel and reforestation of Panthakunja Park.聽聽
