Ashraf’s Column

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Rangs Bhaban must go

Rangs Bhaban was built by its owner on someone else’s land. It was built against the objections of Rajuk and CAAB. It was built in defiance to High Court’s order. How could the owner of this infamous building get away by defying so many government authorities? The answer is not far to find. Like many other corrupt businessmen of our country, the owner of Rangs Bhaban found out the prices of heads which mattered in regimes one after another. He paid the price and bought the heads. This illegitimate building stands at the heart of Dhaka city as a Qutub Minar of corruption and absence of good governance. The people of Bangladesh honestly believe that this time its owner will not find a head to buy in the government of Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed and the building will be demolished. That the building is too tall and cannot be demolished by technologies at the moment available in the country is not an acceptable argument. If necessary, bring in new technologies from abroad and make the owner of the building pay for the cost of demolition. If the government fails to do it people will think that laws are only for the poor slumdwellers. The arm of law is not long enough to reach the rich and the privileged. Surely that will not be a positive complement to the present government.

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2 Comments:

  • Has anyone ever thought the other way round?

    Rather than destroying the building which costs cores of taka, rents it to establish hawkers market! Is that a better idea?

    Sometimes one has to look beyound immediate happiness for long term objectivities.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At 8:25 AM  

  • One wrongdoing does not fix another wrongdoing. By converting this to a hawkers market will be adding another painful twist in the present drama.

    Looking beyond the immediate happiness will be clearing out the building and let the city go ahead with its original plan.

    Long term objective is not to create another problem which will take another 15/20 years to fix. Moreover, rest of the FARMGATE and TEJGAON is already for the traders and hawkers.

    Dhaka city could grow a lot better with an uninfluenced master plan. Amazingly, the original city plan was considerably foresighted plan of a modern city, which is rarely adhered.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At 1:04 PM  

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