Civil society representatives have sent a letter to housing and public works minister RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury, seeking his intervention in Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha鈥檚 inactive role in Bashundhara trees felling incident.
In the letter dated April 23, they requested Rajuk鈥檚 immediate intervention to prevent the further cutting of remaining trees alongside the roads in Bhatara police station area, said a press release on Thursday.聽
They also demanded necessary measures to bring the Bashundhara housing company to book.
The signatories of the statement included human rights activist Sultana Kamal, coordinator of non-governmental rights organisation Nijera Kori Khushi Kabir, Transparency International Bangladesh executive director Iftekharuzzaman and association for land reform and development executive director Shamsul Huda, Bangladesh legal aid and services trust legal advisor SM Rezaul Karim, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon general secretary Alamgir Kabir, Bangladesh institute of planners president Adil Mohammed Khan and Bangladesh environmental lawyers association executive director Syeda Rizwana Hasan.
They also demanded that the company would plant native species in the locations where the trees were cut down.
At the time, when heat alerts have been issued in the country and people are dying to heat stroke, the act of cutting down hundreds of trees in the name of expanding roads and citing security concerns by a powerful housing company was labelled as 鈥榮hort-sighted and irrational鈥� in the release.
It further mentioned that the company did not suspend its plan to cut trees, instead, residents of the area faced harassment and threats when they held a protest rally, expressing their dissatisfaction against the tree cutting on April 19.
Stating that Rajuk鈥檚 approval to expand the road in the area was must as the Bashundhara residential project fell under its jurisdiction, the letter requested to know whether Rajuk鈥檚 approval was obtained for tree felling and, if so, on what grounds it was given.
The letter also stated that according to the Town Improvement Act, 1953, and the Private Residential Land Development Rules 2004, there was no scope to leave the civic rights of city dwellers in the hands of a private housing company.
Therefore, Rajuk鈥檚 silence and lack of observation regarding the tree felling incident were mysterious and conflicting with public interest, read the release.