After facing backlash from different organisations and environmental activists, the public works department says it has cut down trees at the Suhrawardy Udyan upon directives from the Liberation War affairs ministry for the implementation of a megaproject at the historic site. On Wednesday, the Liberation War Affairs ministry admitted that some trees were felled at the Suhrawardy Udyan as part of the implementation of its plan. When the world is suffocating for oxygen, the mindless ornamental development in exchange of the city’s lungs is counterproductive. When the healthcare system remains ill equipped, livelihood support for pandemic affected people are inadequate, Tk 265.44 crore for construction by razing the trees is a crime.
Under the project, public toilets, walkways, food courts, artificial ponds, underground parking lots, underpasses and mosques will be constructed. Environmentalists and educationists lambasted the government for destroying the environment at the Suhrawardy Udyan. Bureaucrats gave the idea of setting up restaurants and amusement centres in the project without informing experts. An environmentalist termed the incident an ‘attack on lungs and heart of the city’.
When the world is following a build better back policy, meaning development keeping the environmental effects in consideration, our development follows making concrete jungle. Our policy is not aligned with green technology as more construction paves way to more misappropriation of public money. Six rights organisations and an architect collectively served a legal notice to the government demanding of it not to cut the trees at Suhrawardy Udyan and not to damage the environment and natural characteristics in the capital.
The government should prioritise cost-effective investment in improving the health sector, education sector, and employment generation during this pandemic and follow eco-friendly development giving environmental sustainability top priority. We cannot afford development in exchange of destruction of nature. If we do that again and again, we will not be able to protect ourselves from the wrath of nature.
