Bangladesh’s top apparel business body has been given another year by the court to demolish its multi-storey office building in capital Dhaka.
The Supreme Court has set Apr 12, 2019, as the deadline for Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) to tear down is headquarters.
On Monday, the Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order after trade body signed an undertaking in line with the court’s instruction.
“The undertaking states three conditions, firstly the BGMEA will not seek an extension anymore. Secondly, it will comply with the court’s order and lastly, after the deadline expires the BGMEA Board members in office then will be liable for demolishing the building,” BGMEA counsel Imtiaz Moinul Islam told the media.
The 'BGMEA Bhaban' was built in violation of the Wetlands Protection Act nearly two decades ago endangering wetlands in Dhaka.
In 2011, the High Court found that the BGMEA office building had been constructed by violating the law meant to protect wetlands and ordered its demolition.
The court said the building was hindering the water flow of Begunbari canal and hampering the Hatirjheel Beautification Project.
A review petition on the decision was dismissed by the Appellate Division and the BGMEA was told to complete demolitions by Sept 12, 2017.
An additional seven-month extension until Apr 12 was granted in October last year, when the court said the deadline would not be extended further.
On Mar 25, the BGMEA filed another plea seeking a full-year extension, which the court granted on Monday after the trade body signed an undertaking.