Why are the environmentally destructive projects of the Hasina regime still ongoing?

Over the past few decades, most projects funded by foreign loans have been undertaken in an authoritarian manner, imposing the burden of debt on the people without considering the environment or public well-being. One after another, so-called 'development' projects have been launched without any comprehensive planning or consultation with stakeholders. These projects have brought severe environmental degradation and hardship to people's lives.

Violating all types of national and international policies—and despite the availability of alternatives—the Rampal power plant was built near the Sundarbans with Indian loans. Numerous Export Processing Zones (EPZs) have been established in the country through foreign investment, where local workers toil for low wages in garment factories. Meanwhile, groundwater levels continue to fall, and the land, rivers, canals, and wetlands of the country are increasingly polluted by industrial waste.

A persistent conflict has been created between environmental concerns and development activities, leading to the disruption of public life and placing future generations at serious risk. The supposed economic benefits used to justify environmental destruction have, upon closer scrutiny, proven to be little more than attempts to mislead the public.
Even the World Bank, in its research, has pointed out that the cost of road construction in Bangladesh is higher than in India and China—primarily due to rampant corruption, failure to complete projects on time, and a lack of competitive bidding.

The rising costs of these loan- or aid-funded projects benefit corrupt politicians and bureaucrats, project consultants, and both local and foreign companies and their collaborators. Meanwhile, the burden of debt falls squarely on the shoulders of the people. In return for foreign aid, the government is also often forced to provide various financial or other concessions.

Even if we set aside environmental concerns, many of these projects are not economically viable. Yet they have been manipulated to appear profitable in order to justify their execution. One of the clearest examples of such unethical practices in recent decades is the Dhaka Elevated Expressway project.

According to the toll and traffic report of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway from January 2024, 98.3 per cent of the vehicles using the expressway are private cars. To recover the investment of this mega project and facilitate private car movement, a proposed connecting road is being planned—one that will disrupt the functionality of already overburdened roads in the area. This issue is even acknowledged in the project’s own Environmental Impact Assessment report.

Moreover, the entry and exit ramps of the expressway in this area are expected to significantly worsen traffic congestion at key intersections such as SAARC Fountain, Bangla Motor, Katabon, Elephant Road, Nilkhet, and Palashi.

As a result, 95 per cent of the population will suffer the negative consequences of a mega project designed to benefit the 5 per cent who travel by private car. Shouldn’t a government formed through a people's uprising take this into serious consideration?

The construction of the connecting road for the Elevated Expressway—from FDC to Palashi—has already caused severe environmental damage to the Hatirjheel reservoir and Panthakunja Park. Now, areas such as Kathalbagan, Katabon, Nilkhet, Palashi, and the surrounding environments and transport systems of the University of Dhaka and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) face a looming crisis.

At Palashi intersection, where a ramp is planned to be built, one side borders Dhaka University, the main entrance of BUET is directly ahead, and institutions like Eden College lie on the other side. Multiple studies have shown that when high-speed expressway vehicles enter this area, the already congested traffic situation will worsen significantly.

The main Dhaka Elevated Expressway project (Dhaka Elevated Expressway PPP Project) was approved by ECNEC in July 2011 with a budget of Tk 89.40 billion, scheduled for completion by December 2014. However, due to irregularities, mismanagement, authoritarian practices, and corruption, this three-year project remains unfinished more than a decade later.
The project reports show that the foreign company’s expenditure is Tk 65.27 billion (73pc of the estimated cost), while the Bangladesh government’s Viability Gap Financing (VGF) contribution is Tk 24.13 billion (27pc).

However, in addition to this, another project titled 'Support to Dhaka Elevated Expressway PPP Project'—with a cost of Tk 49.17 billion—was launched by the Bridge Division to cover land acquisition, rehabilitation of affected people, relocation of utility services, and consultant fees. This entire cost is to be borne by the people of Bangladesh.

When the cost of the linked project is added, the total estimated expenditure rises to Tk 138.58 billion, of which 52.9 per cent—that is, Tk 73.31 billion—will be paid by the people of Bangladesh.

Yet, according to the government’s 2010 VGF funding regulation issued by the PPP Authority, the government’s VGF contribution must not exceed 30 per cent of the total cost. The tactic of transferring major expenses to a separate 'linked project' in order to make the PPP project appear profitable is nothing short of outright deception against the public.

In response to a 2014 writ petition concerning Panthakunja, the High Court directed that the park must remain open as per the city’s master plan. However, during the construction of the elevated expressway, this directive was ignored, and infrastructure work began without obtaining the required environmental clearance.

In its ruling, the court defined 'open space' as an area where no structure can be built that obstructs the space from the ground to the sky. Given the current plan to build the expressway’s connecting road through Panthakunja Park, it is clear that this violates the court’s order. Such actions by government agencies amount to contempt of court.

In addition, regarding Hatirjheel, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court ruled that any kind of infrastructure development in Hatirjheel—which is designated as a reservoir in the master plan—constitutes a violation of the 2000 law titled “The Playground, Open Space, Park, and Natural Water Body Conservation Act”, which applies to all municipal areas in metropolitan, divisional, and district cities.

Article 18A of the Constitution of Bangladesh clearly states: "The State shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to preserve and safeguard the natural resources, biodiversity, wetlands, forests, and wildlife for the present and future citizens."

By cutting down approximately two thousand fully grown trees in Panthakunja Park and filling parts of the Hatirjheel reservoir in the name of development, the government has violated these fundamental principles of state policy.

Although, under Article 8 of the Constitution, these principles are not directly enforceable by the courts, the Constitutional Reform Commission has recommended removing this limitation and recognising the right to a healthy environment as a fundamental right.

On behalf of the Bangladesh Tree Protection Movement, a request was submitted to the Department of Environment seeking information about the environmental clearance for the ongoing elevated expressway project in Hatirjheel and Panthakunja. According to the official response, no application for environmental clearance was received for construction activities in either Panthakunja Park or the Hatirjheel reservoir.

Additionally, for the rest of the project (excluding Hatirjheel), the existing environmental clearance has expired, and yet construction continues without renewal—an outright and serious violation of environmental laws.

Drawings published on the website of Vitti, the firm led by project consultant Iqbal Habib, show that the route of the construction has been shifted away from the rear side of the five-star Sonargaon Hotel and nearby commercial zones, and redirected through a densely populated residential area beside BIAM School and College. Notably, the same consultant is also the architect for the hotel’s expansion.
This raises credible concerns that the project may have been deliberately diverted away from the hotel and toward a sensitive residential and educational area in order to protect the interests of the five-star establishment.

Under the terms of the agreement, the investing company will be entitled to collect tolls from the Elevated Expressway for 25 years, while Bangladesh will receive only Tk 2.72 billion in return. Even though Bangladesh is directly investing 52.9 per cent of the total cost (when including the linked project), it will receive just 25 per cent of any toll revenue beyond 80,000 vehicles per day.

On the other hand, if the daily vehicle count drops below 13,500, the government must compensate the investor. The agreement makes no provision for accounting the damage caused to land use or the environment in Bangladesh.

Furthermore, the agreement does not factor in the estimated value of 128 acres of land provided by Bangladesh Railway—worth approximately Tk 60 billion. Despite this, Bangladesh Railway receives no share of the toll revenue. The project has also stalled the Dhaka-Tongi Third and Fourth Line Railway Project, a critical infrastructure initiative.

All of this clearly indicates that this anti-public, discriminatory project was undertaken to protect the interests of a foreign company, at the cost of public resources, environmental damage, and vital national infrastructure.

Several lives have been lost during the construction of the Elevated Expressway. Yet, not a single company or its representative has been held accountable—responsibility has instead been shifted onto ordinary citizens or workers. A review of The Daily Star Bangla's report published on 30 May 2023, titled "Child Killed by Falling Rod: Case Filed Against Elevated Expressway Worker", reveals that a 12-year-old unidentified child was passing under the under-construction section of the expressway in Mohakhali when a metal rod fell from above, piercing the child’s head. Physicians at Dhaka Medical College later declared the child dead.

In response, site manager Hasib Hasan of the Banani-Mohakhali segment of the Elevated Expressway project filed a negligence case against a worker, Md. Hasan, 32. Whether it’s a citizen or a labourer, in every instance, the construction company has been granted effective immunity. Shockingly, there has been no initiative to improve the work environment or safety measures for which the construction firm should be held responsible.

During the previous government’s tenure, numerous infrastructure projects undertaken in the name of development caused widespread harm to life, nature, and the environment across the country. In a new Bangladesh—born from a student-led and people-powered uprising—no development project that endangers the environment, public health, or public interest should be allowed to continue.

It is essential to investigate whose interests are being served by maintaining these contracts and allowing such projects to proceed. As part of a national reform agenda in post-uprising Bangladesh, all development initiatives must be brought under a framework of accountability that prioritises environmental sustainability, public health, and the greater public good.

● The writers are educators, environmental activists, and urban planners.

#The views expressed are the authors' own.