The Institute for Planning and Development (IPD) has strongly condemned the ongoing construction of a private-car-centric elevated expressway ramp through Panthakunja Park, a vital recreation and public health infrastructure for hundreds of thousands of people in the heart of the capital.
In a statement, the IPD highlighted the interim government’s “double standards,” noting that while the administration cancelled the public transport-oriented Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, it is pushing ahead with the environment-damaging expressway ramp despite public opposition,. The organisation expressed deep concern that authorities are ignoring the public’s will to prioritise infrastructure for private vehicles.
The IPD pointed out that there were prior High Court instructions to avoid destroying structures within Panthakunja Park. Despite a stay order issued by the High Court in September following a writ petition by environmental activists, authorities have continued construction. The IPD described the “astonishing” silence of the Department of Environment, the City Corporation, and other relevant government agencies as the park reaches a “near-dead” state due to rushed construction.
According to the sources, environmentalists, planners, and experts have been protesting the FDC to Palashi ramp project which affects both Panthakunja and the Hatirjheel reserved reservoir for over five months since December 2024. However, the interim government has shown no sensitivity to these demands or interest in formal discussions.
While government advisors and officials have repeatedly claimed that Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects cannot be modified or corrected, the IPD noted that the government recently cancelled the Gazipur-Airport BRT project, a bus-based PPP initiative after 12 years of work and 97 per cent completion. The IPD alleged that the government is “betraying public aspirations” to protect the interests of foreign contractors involved in the private-car-reliant expressway. Furthermore, while bus-based transport reforms remain unsuccessful, authorities plan to add four new ramps to the expressway by December 2026.
The IPD warned that the FDC-Palashi ramp will devastate the environment of Hatirjheel and Panthakunja, while creating a “limitless crisis” for the transport systems and overall environment of areas including Karwan Bazar, Banglamotor, Kathalbagan, Katabon, Nilkhet, Dhaka University, and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
The organisation noted that while the wealthy will travel unimpeded on the elevated route, existing ground-level roads will shrink, becoming largely unusable for the middle and lower-income classes. This pattern has been observed in other areas of Dhaka where flyovers have been constructed.
The IPD asserted that the construction violates the state’s constitutional obligation to protect the environment and public health. Stressing that private-car-centric infrastructure has never solved traffic congestion anywhere in the world, the IPD called for an immediate halt to construction in Panthakunja and the total cancellation of the FDC to Palashi link road.
