The Urban Study Group, a non-profit organisation campaigning for conservation of the Old Town of the capital, has protested at the partial demolition of a century-old building on Dinanath Sen Road at Gendaria in Dhaka.聽
In a statement on Monday, the USG said that the most attractive heritage structure in the area 鈥� holding numbers 16, 16/A, 16/B, and 16/C 鈥� was partly demolished in violation of the High Court鈥檚 directives for the preservation and protection of ancient relics and monuments.
The release stated that the demolition activity had been ongoing for the past two weeks until a general diary was lodged by the USG with Gendaria Police Station on Monday afternoon.
However, USG chief executive officer Taimur Islam said that the demolition activity of the building resumed on Tuesday morning but was later halted after the authorities intervened.
Citing a source from Save the Heritage Bangladesh, the statement mentioned that the building, established in 1898 by Tarok Bandhu Mitra, a school inspector from Manikganj, was constructed in the neo-classical architectural style.聽聽聽
In 2015, this building was shown in a highly aesthetic manner in a film titled Rina Brown.
The release said that despite a profit-hungry group of landowners and developers are demolishing several heritage structures 鈥� a portion of the Bara Katra, the century-old two-story building at 7/A SC Roy Road in Armanitola, and the one-story building of Lalbagh Sporting Club 鈥� the departments concerned have not taken any firm or effective stance on the matter.
It demanded necessary reconstruction and preservation of this building, along with the preservation of all heritage structures in the old Dhaka.聽
In August 2018, the High Court issued an order prohibiting the demolition of any of the 2,200 heritage sites in Old Dhaka, including this building on Dinanath Sen Road, after the USG filed a petition to conserve them.