MEDIA reports said a High Court bench has directed the government to stop the construction of a car park within 24 hours by razing the boundary wall of historic Lalbagh Fort in the old city of the metropolis on Sunday. In response to a writ petition filed by Civil Society Organization, Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), the court also issued a rule asking why the authorities concerned should not be directed to protect the 17th Century Mughal Fort and restore the demolished wall to its original state. A portion of the boundary wall was knocked down to make way for a car park inside the heritage site; ignoring the existing law. Similarly in 2011, the HC directed the authorities to remove illegal structures in and around the Fort to protect its beauty, nature, and archaeological heritage.
What has everyone stunned is that the government’s own Archaeological Department, whose job is to preserve historical sites, ordered the demolition of the massive ancient wall surrounding Lalbagh Fort in order to make way for a car park, meant for VIPs only at a cost of Tk 30 lakhs. The destruction of even a part of the historic site like this is like burning the last copy of a book — that once gone, is gone forever. The notion that the car park (which would benefit only a small number of people) is more important than preserving the Centuries-old Heritage Site is as preposterous as it is harmful. The Centuries-old wall is priceless in terms of its historic value and in all truth, the Lalbagh Fort and its surroundings are going to be the legacy we leave behind, not the VIP car park that will be destroyed in several years. It is an indispensable part of our culture and it is highly unprofessional and hypocritical that the authorities chose to allow such an unfair measure to take place. It is a well-known fact that destroying any part of the Centuries-Old structure would definitely ‘adversely affect’ its design. What is worse, when asked to restore historical monuments and sites, the government pleaded inadequate funds as the barrier in the way of restoration work many times. The sudden procurement of money is dubious, and is its usage. We should change our attitude toward our history, heritage and legacy of the past; which will have an impact for the future generation of our country. We applaud the HC’s direction and hope the authorities concerned will act accordingly to protect and preserve the heritage. This is the way we may hold firm the custody of our past at present and pass it to the future generation. This is our history and without history we stand nowhere.
