Environmentalists on Friday held a symbolic ‘citizen mourning meeting’ in protest against felling of centuries-old trees at the construction site of Rajshahi Central Shaheed Minar in Rajshahi ctiy.
They held the symbolic mourning meeting in front of the construction site at 11:30am holding various placards and festoons.
Addressing the meeting, the speakers said that no development work carried out cutting trees and destroying the environment could be allowed since such development is not beneficial to humans.
Mahbub Tunku, convener of Poribesh Andolon Okya Parishad, said that they had requested the Rajshahi Zilla Parishad chairman to construct the Shaheed Minar without cutting the century-old trees and he promised them accordingly.
‘But, he did not keep his word. Already three centuries-old trees have been felled secretly, while branches of another tree have been cut off. Another one’s base has been carved,’ he said.
Nazmul Hossain, member secretary of Poribesh Andolon Okya Parishad, said that parks are always environment-friendly around the world. ‘They are of 30 per cent concrete and 70 per cent natural ground. But here, tiles will be installed except for the grass,’ he lamented.
The speakers asked Rajshahi Zilla Parishad chairman to apologise to the people of Rajshahi for breaching his promise and cutting trees and destroying bird nests in those trees.
Among others, Rastra Sangskar Andolan Rajshahi divisional coordinator Mahmud Jamal Quaderi, Bangladesh Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge’s regional coordinator Shahidul Islam, ethnic minority leader Subash Chandra Hembrom spoke at the meeting.
Rajshahi Zila Parishad chairman is constructing the Central Shaheed Minar on one-acre land at Rajarhata area in Rajshahi city.
Zilla Parishad’s chairman Mir Iqbal formally inaugurated the construction work on May 18.
Following the inauguration, environmentalists and concerned citizens formed separate human chains and held rallies urging the authorities not to cut the centuries-old trees at the construction site.
On June 6, fourteen eminent citizens including Sultana Kamal, Khushi Kabir, Shamsul Huda, and Iftekharuzzaman, sent a letter to the secretaries of environment, forests and climate change ministry, local government division, the mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation, and the chairman of Rajshahi zilla parishad, requesting them to construct the Central Shaheed Minar without cutting the centuries-old trees at the construction site.