BGMEA seeks more time to demolish bldg, SC to decide tomorrow

The Supreme Court's Appellate Division will decide whether garment exporters' organisation BGMEA will receive more time to demolish the illegally constructed 16-storey building in the city's Hatirjheel area, reports UNB.

A four-member bench led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain heard a petition for more time on Sunday and set Tuesday for the date of the decision.

Lawyers Kamrul Haque Siddique and Imtiaz Moinul Islam represented the BGMEA at the hearing while the state was represented by Attorney General Mahbubey Alam.

Built illegally on endangered wetlands in Dhaka about two decades ago, the BGMEA building was called 'a cancer' on the Hatirjheel Beautification Project by the High Court.

In 2011, the High Court found that the building had been constructed 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 project.