Staff Reporter :
A High Court Bench on Sunday expressed hope that the problems regarding tree felling at Suhrawardy Udyan would be resolved amicably through discussions between the government and environmentalists.
“We do not want to interfere with this issue at this moment. We hope that all the issues regarding Suhrawardy Udyan will be settled keeping a balance in a beautiful way as the government will take necessary decisions after consulting with the environmentalists including the writ petitioners,” the HC Bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice SM Maniruzaaman said.
The Bench said this while hearing on a writ petition filed seeking its directive on the government not to cut trees and not to damage environment at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital.
The court adjourned the hearing of the petition for four weeks, saying that it will pass necessary order later on after being conveyed about the government steps over Suhrawardy Udyan.
At the beginning of the hearing on Thursday, Attorney General AM Amin Uddin told the HC Bench that he talked to the Liberation War Affairs Minister about protecting original and natural historical shape of Suhrawardy Udyan and the Minister assured that he will talk to environmentalists and then will take necessary decisions.
The attorney general also said the process for felling trees at Suhrawardy Udyan has been suspended.
Lawyers Fida M Kamal and Syeda Rizwana Hasan appeared for the writ petitioners, while Additional Attorney Generals Mohammad Mehedi Hasan Chowdhury and SK Md Morshed represented the state during the virtual hearing on the petition.
Six rights organizations, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), Ain O Shalish Kendro (ASK), Association for Land Reforms and Development (ALRD), Nijera Kori, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), and an architect, Mubasshar Hussain, filed the petition on May 9 as a public interest litigation to the office concerned of the HC.
In the petition they sought a ruling upon the respondents to explain as to why the felling of old, mature trees in the Suhrawardi Udyan in the name of implementing a project being violative of the Constitution and all applicable laws shall not be declared to be without lawful authority.
The petitioners also prayed to the court to issue a ruling upon the respondents to explain as to why they should not be directed to refrain from authorizing any commercial set up in the said historic Udyan, and to remove all structures from the Udyan that are not relevant to the conservation needs of the Udyan, and to protect, conserve, preserve and maintain the natural and historical appeal of the Udyan as envisaged in the Dhaka City Master Plan.
