BGMEA Building: It'll be torn down in 3 months

The BGMEA building will be knocked down within the next three months as it has already been sealed-off since Tuesday, Housing and Public Works Minister SM Rezaul Karim said yesterday.

The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) sealed-off the 16-storey establishment of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Associationin in the capital's Hatirjheel, the minister said.

The government has already floated a tender calling the qualified companies to participate in the bidding for demolition of the building, he further said, adding, “We will call the foreign companies to demolish the structure if local companies are not found.”

The interested companies have been asked to submit their tender by April 24 as the government is scheduled to scrutinise and take the decision by April 25.

“The government will offer work order to the qualified bidders within one week of the selection of the company,” the minister said.

Modern equipment and technologies will be used to demolish the structure so that no human casualty or environmental pollution occurs during the demolition, Rezaul said while responding to the queries of journalists at a press conference in his secretariat office.

The minister also said the dynamites which would be used for demolition of the BGMEA building are not the explosives used as bombs.

The demolition of the BGMEA structure is possible even in one hour as modern technologies are that powerful, he said.

The minister also said that his ministry already held talks with the foreign experts regarding the use of technologies for demolition of the building.

“We do not want such an illegal structure on a state-owned place. We want to say that nobody is above the law. We want to bring the people under the law who violate it,” the minister said.

All utility service lines like electricity and water would be disconnected from the BGMEA building during the demolition process, keeping it into consideration that no other nearby building is affected, the minister added.

Meanwhile, a legal notice has been served to Siddiqur Rahman, president of BGMEA, requesting him to withdraw a petition filed with the Supreme Court seeking a one-year time for demolishing the building.

Advocate Manzill Murshid, a SC lawyer, sent the notice asking the president of the BGMEA to withdraw their petition within three days.

If the BGMEA president does not withdraw the petition in three days, a contempt of court petition will be moved against him, the lawyer mentioned in the legal notice.

After winning an eight-and-a-half year legal battle, Rajuk on Tuesday sealed off the building. Photo: Star

Manzill Murshid, in the notice, said that BGMEA president on April 2 last year submitted a petition to the Appellate Division of the SC seeking one year's time for vacating the premises and demolition of BGMEA building.

Siddiqur Rahman, however, said nobody from his board filed any petition to the court seeking permission for use of the building.

He said he was not well aware of filing application seeking time, as his board has already promised to the court that the BGMEA would not apply for further delay in demolition of the structure one year ago.