Form council to save heritage sites

The latest government gazette notification shortening the list of conservable historic structures is “destructive of heritage properties”, said historians, architects and cultural activists at a discussion in the capital yesterday. 

The speakers demanded the government to revoke the latest gazette and form a heritage council to protect heritage properties. 

Institute of Architects Bangladesh, Bangladesh Institute of Planners and Bangladesh Itihash Sammiloni organized the discussion on 'independence, heritage and architecture' at CIRDAP auditorium.

“We are totally in the dark as to how and on what basis the list was shortened,” said eminent historian Prof Muntassir Mamoon. 

The new gazette means the century-old Curzon Hall, Pogose School, Mitford Hospital, Salimullah Muslim Hall, Jagannth Hall, Fazlul Huq Hall and Dhaka Medical College can be demolished, he said.    

The shortened list of heritage buildings looks like yielding to the power of real estate developers, as government bows down to grabbers of rivers and canals, he added.       

The very identity of the nation depends on conservation of its heritage and destroying country's historical monuments is a sheer blow to such identity, said Emeritus Professor Rafiqul Islam. 

Rivers like Turag and Balu and scores of canals in the capital and elsewhere that are integral parts of our culture and heritage have been killed spelling a blow to the nation's existence, he said. 

AKM Shahnewaz, a professor of archaeology at Jahangirnagar University, echoed the same tone.

Supreme Court lawyer AF Hassan Ariff said that the government is constitutionally obliged to protect heritage, which is a matter of inheritance and none has right to destroy it. 

The government published a gazette notification last month with a list of 75 conservable heritage buildings in the capital. The previous list contained 93 buildings.

Noted civil engineer Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury, liberation war museum trustee Mofidul Hoque, noted painter Hashem Khan and journalist Kamal Lohani among others spoke.