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The demolition of BGMEA Bhaban is once again mired in uncertainty after the contractor asked the authorities to revise the cost of the project.
Manager Nasrullah Khan Rashed of Four Star Enterprise said on Wednesday that the building had been stripped of valuable materials that were key to recovering the cost of dismantling the building.
Under the terms of the tender, the contracting company will not receive any money for the demolition of the building.
After demolishing the building and two basements, they will sell the used goods to recoup their expenses and profits, reports bdnews24.com.
“We visited the building and found that BGMEA has taken almost everything from there. There is nothing left of the goods that were there at the time of the auction. It will not be possible to recover the costs of the demolition by selling what remains in the building.”
Rashed said they had met with Rajuk officials and asked for a reassessment of the rates.
“Our materials are not there. We asked them to consider it. But Rajuk told us that it was not possible to reduce the rates. Now we are waiting. Rajuk will give us a letter on Monday. We will take a decision based on that.”
RAJUK's Chief Engineer and Hatirjheel project director ASM Raihanul Ferdous could not be reached for comment when contacted over the phone.
Before the auction, the RAJUK estimated that the goods at BGMEA building was worth Tk 58.8 million.
The RAJUK has sealed off the illegally constructed BGMEA Bhaban at Hatirjheel for demolition.
The estimate was based on the building’s rods, bricks, outer glass, glass frames, MS pipes, CI sheets, steel angles, boundary grills, electric motors, generators, air-cooling compressors, elevators, chairs, false ceilings, sanitary products and fire-exit doors.
The BGMEA building was constructed without the permission of the housing and public works ministry and defying the rules. The construction was finished in 2006.
The High Court issued an order in 2011 to demolish it, describing the BGMEA building as a “tumour” in the middle of Hatirjheel’s canal. The top court also upheld the HC order.
The garment exporters took a long time to demolish the building after the Supreme Court order. The final deadline ended on Apr 12.