BGMEA building: RAJUK estimates demolition cost at Tk 20m

The capital development authority estimates that Tk 20 million will be required to knock down the BGMEA Bhaban in Hatirjheel.

The proceeds from the sale of the scraps of the 15-storey building will be enough to pay for the costs, RAJUK (Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha) hopes.

But if the money from the remains does not prove adequate for the demolition job, the readymade garment entrepreneurs’ lobby will be charged to make up the rest of the cost, Housing and Public Works Minister SM Rezaul Karim says.

Lawyer Manzill Murshid is emphasising the 2016 verdict in which the Supreme Court ordered the BGMEA to foot the bill for razing down the building illegally constructed on a water body.

BGMEA’s outgoing President Siddiqur Rahman says they want to sit with the government over the expenses for the demolition.

The issue has come to the fore after Rajuk sealed off the building finally on Tuesday and said engineers would visit it later to determine the process of the demolition.

“Around Tk 20 million will be needed. The money from selling the remains should pay off,” Rajuk Chief Engineer and Hatirjheel Project Director ASM Raihanul Ferdous said on Wednesday, referring to initial estimates.

Rajuk has already invited bids from interested parties for dismantling the building and its two-storey basement and for the sale of the scraps. The interested individuals or firms have until April 24 to bid.

They must have experience of dismantling high-rises and finish the job within three months once the job is started.

Maximum care is also a requirement. During a similar demolition 12 years ago of the Rangs Tower, a high-rise at Tejgaon, several workers had died in the collapse of the parts of the building, bdnews24.com reported.

In the tender for pulling down the BGMEA building, RAJUK said no money will be given separately for the demolition as the party proposing maximum price for the remains will be chosen.

Minister Rezaul, who is also a Supreme Court lawyer, thinks the BGMEA is not respecting the top court orders.

“Rajuk took charge of the demolition following court orders. But the BGMEA must pay the expenses,” he said.

“We will now knock down the building with skilled people. We will then assess the expenses and other issues. If any deficit is there, we will notify the BGMEA,” the minister said, adding that their first priority is the demolition now.    

BGMEA Pesident Siddiqur told reporters at their new headquarters in Uttara that the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) should be held liable for the construction of the building because it is the bureau that had given the land to the BGMEA.

“We had paid the EPB Tk 51.7 million for the land. It was EPB’s mistake, not ours,” he said.

Asked about the expenses, he said they would discuss the issue with the government.

“Everything will be done in line with the court orders,” he added.

Lawyer Manzill Murshid, who had been amicus curiae of the apex court in the case, said: “The court verdict states that they (BGMEA) will have to bear the costs of demolition. The order hasn’t changed.”

When Manzill’s attention was drawn to Siddiqur’s comments, he said, “It’s alright for them to say that they will not pay. They had also said that they would not leave the building, but at the end of the day everyone must follow court orders.”