Bangladesh
Hatirjheel Hatirjheel building not being evacuated for now
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, Nov 7: The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has issued a status quo on the judgment given by the High Court along with the four-point directive to the eviction of all types of commercial establishments in the capital's Hatirjheel-Begunbari project. This status quo will remain in place until Rajuk's leave-to-appeal against the High Court verdict is disposed of. As a result, Hatirjheel is not being evacuated for now.
The Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Hasan Faiz Siddiqui passed the order on Monday (November 7). Attorney General Abu Mohammad (AM) Amin Uddin and Barrister Imam Hasan heard on behalf of Rajuk in the court. Advocate Manzil Morsed was the senior advocate for the writ.
Earlier, on June 19, the High Court gave four-point instructions including the evacuation of all types of commercial establishments in the Hatirjheel-Begunbari project. He also recommended nine points. Then Rajuk appealed against that verdict.
Observing the verdict, the High Court said that the capital's Hatirjheel water and its eye-catching beauty are invaluable resources. This precious resource cannot be destroyed or damaged in any way. Every drop of water is precious. There is no other resource in this world that is more valuable than water and fresh water. So it is imperative to prevent every drop of water pollution.
In the verdict, the court also said that no existence of water has been found on any planet other than this earth. Different countries of the world have not been able to bring even a single drop of water from outside the world after spending trillions of dollars. But if we spend a hundredth of that cost, we can keep our planet's water clean and usable. Hatirjheel's water and its eye-catching beauty are priceless resources. This precious resource cannot be destroyed or damaged in any way.
In the judgment of the High Court, it is also said about Hatirjheel, many land properties in Tejgaon area including Hatirjheel were included in Bhawal Raja's estate. The king's flocks used to bathe in this lake and wander in the water, so it got its name 'Hatirjheel' in the course of time.
Hatirjheel project along with Begunbari Canal was inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on January 2, 2013. This project is established on a total of 302 acres of land at a cost of Tk 1,971.30. No buses or minibuses were allowed to ply on the total 16 km of road in the project area.
