The capital development authority has sealed off the multi-storey office building of the top apparel business body, which was built in violation of the Wetlands Protection Act.
A team of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) put a lock on the building at the capital’s Hatirjheel around 7.30pm on Tuesday (Apr 16) after sealing of all the floors of the 15-storey building of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
Earlier in the day, RAJUK officials accompanied by a large team of law enforcers took position in front of the building on Hatirjheel lake near the city’s Karwan Bazar to demolish it. They have been carrying modern equipment needed to demolish a structure.
However, since several organisations had offices in the building, they were given until 5pm to evacuate, which was later extended by two hours, after which the RAJUK team moved to seal off the building.
In April 2018, the Supreme Court ordered the BGMEA building be demolished. According to the order, the building was to be demolished sometime after April 12 this year.
The 15-storey building stands on a critical spot in Dhaka, blocking the water flow between Hatirjheel lake and Begunbari canal; and has been described by the Supreme Court as “a cancer in the Hatirjheel project.”
The High Court ordered the BGMEA to move forward with demolition work in April 2011. The association filed a leave to appeal against the verdict which was later dismissed by the top court.
In June 2016, the Appellate Division upheld the verdict ordering the demolition of the structure and told the BGMEA to bear the cost of demolition.
The RMG trade body lost its final legal battle on Mar 5, 2017, when the Appellate Division threw out a petition for a review of the verdict.
Later, the association sought a year’s extension to the latest deadline to demolish the building.
Following the plea, the Supreme Court, in April 2018, granted BGMEA one more year to demolish its office building.
The court had ordered the association to submit an undertaking with a condition that the BGMEA will not seek another extension after the one it currently applied for expires.

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