Is it wise to ruin a pocket of greens at Ctg railway for hospital!
The railway authorities have started a project to build a 500-bed hospital and 100-seat medical colleges on six acres of land in the CRB area
Sitting on a hilltop shrouded by several thousand trees of various kinds in Chattogram, the Central Railway Building (CRB), a British colonial architecture built as the headquarters of the Assam-Bengal railway in 1872, is a feast for the eyes.
There are 64 century-old trees such as garjan, shegun, shirish, mahogany and koroi, in the CRB area. Its adjacent hill is home to different species of birds and animals.
Every day many city people flock to the idyllic place to breathe in fresh air and enjoy the beauty of nature.
"Shirish Tala" inside the CRB area is a centre of celebrations like Pahela Baishakh. Many people throng there to enjoy Bolikhela (wrestling competitions) on the occasion of the first day of Bangla calendar.
The railway authorities have started a project to build a 500-bed hospital and 100-seat medical colleges on six acres of land in the CRB area, at the cost of nature.
To make room for the hospital, at least 300 trees, including a few century-old ones, will be felled. A hill will also be razed in the process. There are also several hundred houses meant for railway staff on the proposed land.
The authorities have already cut down a number of trees, cut around 100 feet of a hill to make a road and evicted eight families.
Mosque, temple, club, graveyard and even the Muktijoddha Sangsad building have got into the list of evictions.
Expressing a strong protest against the construction, cultural activists and civil society people in Chattogram said that would cause serious damage to nature.
They have already demanded that the hospital construction be stopped for the sake of the environment.
Poet and journalist Abul Momen told The Business Standard that when the Assam-Bengal Railway was established in 1872, the then British government did not cut a single hill or a valley; they built structures without altering the characteristics of the area.
But now in the name of building a hospital, an attempt is being made to inflict a blow to the "lungs" of Chattogram. There should not be any structure in the area, Abul Momen added.
MK Roy, a former railway chief commandant, said, "There is already a hospital for railway officials and employees in the CRB area with no health services. Some 80% of the hospital beds are now empty. In this situation, it will not be wise to have a private hospital on government land next to it. "
Ahsan Zabir, project director and additional chief engineer of Bangladesh Railway (east zone), said, "The hospital will be constructed in Goalpara, not in CRB Shirish Tala, leaving hills and valleys intact. There is only a century-old tree in the project site."
Besides, alternative accommodation has been provided for railway employees. "What is being said about the project has a particular motive," Zabir added.
Hasan Maruf Rumi, central leader of Ganasanghati Andalon, said, "Playgrounds, open parks and places for cultural activities are shrinking day by day in Chattogram city. This CRB area is not just a place of recreation, it is also playing an important role in maintaining ecological balance.
"We need hospitals, but not by destroying the environment," he added.
A young boy named Shakib, who was playing at Shirish Tala, said, "We have been growing up, playing here. If there is a hospital, where will we play?"
Mozaffar Ahmed, commander of Chattogram city Muktijoddha Sangsad, said, "Fifteen years ago, we, the freedom fighters, proposed building a memorial in the CRB area. But the railway authorities told us that the environment would be ruined in doing
so. But now, a private hospital is being constructed by cutting hills, which is in no way acceptable. "
Abdus Sabur, general secretary of Bangladesh Railway Workers' Union, said, "No opinion was taken from railway workers before taking up the project. There is a lot of unused railway land for building a hospital. The 35-acre land of Kumira Railway Chest Disease Hospital has remained unused."
Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, also a local member of parliament, told TBS that they were going to take initiatives to stop the construction of a hospital that would damage the environment.
