Erasing history

We are pleased to know that the High Court has ordered a halt to the demolition of historic buildings in Old Dhaka. The colonial era buildings located on Hrishikesh Das road began being demolished this month to make way for an eight-storied building for which permission was obtained from Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk). What is incomprehensible is why four areas of Old Dhaka—Farashganj, Shakhari Bazar, Sutrapur and Ramna—were excluded in the list of heritage buildings published by Rajuk last year, leaving age-old structures in these areas unprotected.

This is not the first time that the HC had to step in to prevent the destruction of heritage buildings. The HC late last year imposed a restriction on the demolition of Khamarbari's century-old lab building which had begun to be taken down, upon the instruction of the Public Works Department, despite protests by preservationists. But the HC order was reportedly ignored.

It is clear that city authorities lend no importance to the preservation of centuries-old structures which are of immense cultural value. These historic sites are something of a visual delight in the midst of the messy concrete jungle that Dhaka has turned into. Whereas other cities are doing everything in their power to protect ancient architectural gems, Dhaka city authorities are doing the exact opposite. Thankfully, there are organisations such as the Urban Study Group which are working tirelessly to protect whatever is left of the city's architectural heritage.

We can only hope that the HC order to stop the demolition of the heritage buildings on Hrishikesh Das road isn't violated this time as well. All heritage buildings must be brought under protection. Coordination among Rajuk, Department of Archaeology and the city corporations is also necessary.