Eminent citizens, politicians, rights activists, academics and cultural figures among them, issued a joint statement on Tuesday, demanding the cancellation of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway link road construction that has already led to the destruction of Panthakunja Park and a section of the Hatirjheel Lake.
The under-construction link road, along with its ramps, is designed to connect the area adjacent to the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation with the Plassey crossing adjacent to the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.
The joint statement, endorsed by 157 signatories, came in support of the ongoing protest organised by environmental conservation group Bangladesh Tree Protection Movement.
On the very day, the movement marked its 151st day of sit-in demonstrations, demanding the protection of Panthakunja Park and Hatirjheel in the Karwan Bazar area.
The statement said that the elevated expressway project was marred by corruption, mismanagement and a lack of coordination since its inception, resulting in environmental destruction and public suffering.
According to the statement, the project has violated laws and policies for protection of waterbodies and biodiversity. The project authorities have also altered the government classification of Hatirjheel and encroached on its parts while felling nearly 2,000 trees in Panthakunja Park.
The signatories expressed dismay over the interim government鈥檚 continued negligence regarding the matter. Despite assurances from three advisers five months ago, no formal meeting was held with the protesting conservationists, it read.
Signatories of the statement include former Jahangirnagar University professor Anu Muhammad, anthropologist Rahnuma Ahmed, rights activists Shahidul Alam, Khushi Kabir and Iftekharuzzaman, poet and singer Kafil Ahmed, Dhaka University professors Gitiara Nasreen and Moshahida Sultana, urban planner Professor Adil Muhammad Khan, lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua, July Martyrs Memorial Foundation general secretary Shamsi Ara Zaman, Dharitri Rakshya Amra secretary general Sharif Jamil, journalist Saydia Gulrukh and student political activist Nazifa Jannat.
