Demolition of Rangs Bhaban beyond 6th floor from today

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The government starts demolishing major parts of the Rangs Bhaban, a commercial building on Bijoy Sarani in the city, this (Friday) morning as the Supreme Court (SC) put an end to a tense legal battle on the issue Thursday, according to bdnews24.com, UNB.
Dhaka city's developer Rajuk used loudspeakers in the area Thursday afternoon to announce that its workers would begin splitting the concrete of the Rangs Bhaban at 7:00am Friday (today).
It asked the building authorities to vacate by midnight the top 16 floors of the controversial tower, which has stood tall for years illegally overlooking the Prime Minister's Office.
A bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court Thursday overruled the High Court (HC) judgment that had declared valid the construction beyond sixth floor of the controversial 22-storied building on the Old Airport Road in the capital.
The Appellate Division's order cleared the way for RAJUK to demolish the unlawful construction beyond the sixth floor of the massive building built at a cost of Tk. 7.0 billion (700 crore).
The 5-member Appellate Division bench led by Justice M Fazlul Karim issued the order in response to an appeal by the government against the High Court judgment delivered in May, 2000.
Rangs lawyer Rafique-ul Huq told reporters that the SC judgement is not clear and they will move a review petition against it.
The long-pending hearing of a government appeal against the HC judgment began at the Appellate Division on July 24.
A high official of the ministry concerned said preferring anonymity that the occupants had been notified privately to move out.
Attorney General Fida M Kamal conducted the case for the government. He said that the government appeal was partially granted and the court said the Rangs Bhaban design should be corrected.
Kamal said the floors on top of the sixth floor up to the 22nd floor would have to be demolished as they were built without approval of the sanctioning authorities.
Earlier, the High Court, in its verdict seven years ago upon a writ petition filed by the Rangs Group, declared the RAJUK notices as illegal, saying that the construction of Rangs Bhaban was done as per the plan approved by RAJUK following the terms and conditions.
It further said RAJUK notices cancelling sanction of the plan and its other letters asking the petitioners to remove the construction beyond 6th floor had been done without lawful authority and had no legal effect.
On the other hand, the present caretaker government in a meeting of the Advisory Council in April decided in principle to demolish the building.
It was built during the regime of military ruler HM Ershad. When BNP was in power from 1991-96, it made an abortive bid to demolish the building. Awami League during its 1996-2001 rule also took an initiative to demolish the building, but was restrained by a High Court order.
Meanwhile, Rangs Bhaban authorities Thursday filed an appeal to halt the Appellate Division verdict that ordered demolition of 16 floors of the 22-storey building.
The authorities submitted the appeal to the Supreme Court, but the hearing on the appeal was not held, as the Appellate Division chamber judge was not present at the time. The hearing will be held Sunday.
In its appeal, the Rangs Bhaban authorities said a petition for formal review of the verdict would be filed after getting a copy of the Appellate Division verdict on demolition.
"For this the Appellate Division verdict needs to be stayed," the appeal said.
Rangs Bhaban counsel Md Shakawat Hossain said, "We hope the demolition of the upper parts of the building would remain suspended until disposition of the review petition."
In another development, Law and Public Works Adviser Mainul Hosein Thursday said the planned road connecting Bijoy Sarani and Tejgaon would now be constructed demolishing the controversial 22-storied Rangs Building.
"This is not only a building, but also a monument of illegal structure," he told reporters after the day's Supreme Court order overturning the High Court verdict that declared valid the construction beyond the sixth floor of the building.
After the SC order, the adviser said new notices would not be served upon the owners of the Rangs Bhaban. He said the government would acquire the building up to the sixth floor and demolish the entire building for the construction of the road in public interest. The plan of the road has already been prepared by RAJUK.
The adviser said: "We do not do anything out of anger… We'll not be able to set all the examples, as we are an interim government. But we are cooperating with the nation."