The chamber judge of the Supreme Court has upheld the High Court’s order to stop all construction activities, including the elevated expressway, at Dhaka’s Panthakunja Park and Hatirjheel areas. The decision came after the state’s appeal was dismissed, leaving the High Court’s ruling intact.
Justice Md Rezaul Haque, chamber judge of the Appellate Division, however, asked the government to file a leave to appeal petition with this court.
On 10 September, a High Court bench, comprising of justices Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Biswajit Debnath, prohibited the construction of the elevated expressway through the Panthakunja Park and Hatirjheel Lake areas. The court also directed that Panthakunja Park be reopened for public access.
The petition, filed by Amirul Rajib, coordinator of the Bangladesh Tree Protection Movement, environmentalists Professor Anu Mohammad and Professor Geeti Ara Nasreen, along with seven others, challenged the construction in these environmentally sensitive zones.
They called for protection of the park’s biodiversity, an end to deforestation, and restoration of the area.
Following the High Court’s ruling, the state’s attempt to suspend the decision was rejected. Environmental groups, who have been protesting for months, continue to oppose the extension of the project from Karwan Bazar to Palashi and demand stronger measures to safeguard Panthakunja Park from destruction.
