The Supreme Court yesterday asked Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to demolish and remove its recreation centre on the bank of the Buriganga River near the capital’s Kamrangirchar area.
A four-member bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha dismissed an appeal moved by the BIWTA against a High Court order which had asked the water transport authority to demolish the recreation centre on July 29, 2010.
In May 2010, Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh filed a writ petition on public interest following a Bangla newspaper report that said the BIWTA had been constructing a recreation centre on the river bank illegally. The High Court had previously passed an order that banned construction of any establishment on the Buriganga River bank.
On May 16, 2010, the HC issued a rule on the government asking it to maintain status quo for three months over construction of the recreation centre and sought explanations as to why the construction should not be declared illegal.
After two months, the court directed the BIWTA to demolish, dismantle and remove the structure within 30 days. BIWTA filed an appeal against the order and SC chamber judge issued a status quo on the construction of the structure.
In the final verdict, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal of BIWTA. “The BIWTA authorities now have to demolish the structure following the court’s order,” writ petitioner lawyer Manzill Murshid said.