The government has suspended a decision to plant imported 500 Chinese and Taiwanese bonsai Ficus (Bot) as part of the beautification along the six-km stretch of road between Banani Level Crossing and airport intersection after criticism by naturalists.The green activists have observed that it is needed to plant trees which will produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide in Dhaka instead of Bonsai.
However, the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has taken up Tk 90 crore beautification and pavement maintenance work project on the city’s Airport Road. Of them, the RHD has imported Bonsai tree at a cost of Tk 5.5 crore as part of the project.
There are also disputes over the ownership of the Airport Road between RHD and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).
Meanwhile, DNCC Mayor Annisul Huq himself said he requested the RHD to hand over the beautification tasks to them as DNCC continuously cleaning the road—but the RHD don’t responded to mayor’s request.
“We need beautification in the country. Temperature of Dhaka has gone up as the city dwellers have experienced it in the last recent days. It is because of lack of trees in the capital,” Abdus Sobhan, former additional director general of the department of environment (DoE), told The Independent yesterday.
He said trees are cutting indiscriminately in the city for construction of road islands which resulted for high temperature in the capital.
“There are lot of local beautification species of trees which are the factory of releasing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide. Bonsai trees have never give the same service like local trees,” Sobhan said in reply to a query.
Bonsai is a commercial product used for artificial beauty, he added.
He suggested the government to reduce the temperature first in the capital by planting local trees instead of imported Bonsai trees.
“Such activities should stop immediately to plant bonsai. The authority concerned can plant local varieties of beautification trees both in capital and across the country,” the green activist observed.
Meanwhile, the road transport and bridges ministry yesterday halted the plantation of bonsai trees along side the Airport road following criticism, said release issued by the ministry.
“The RHD is maintaining, developing and beautifying the airport road since its construction. The RHD is able to maintain and conservation the airport road by its skilled manpower, machineries and efficiency,” the press release said.
A vested quarter is spreading propaganda that the Airport highway is not the owner of RHD, which is false, the release added.
“The RHD is responsible to beautify and develop the airport highway as per Right of Way (Row). The confusion will over about the ownership of the airport road through this explanation,” the release said.
The RHD has taken up a project to plant five-lakh various species of plant to beautify the airport road.
Road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader has directed to stop plantation of imported Bonsai trees on the airport road after criticism, the release said.
Earlier, Mayor Annisul Huq said the RHD had no right to carry out the tasks like beautification work within the city corporation. – Staff Reporter
