A group of leading human rights and environmental organisations yesterday appealed to the Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed to not allocate 25 acres land of Suhrawardy Udyan to Dhaka Club for development of a golf course.

The letter, signed by Ain O Shalish Kendra, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), Nagorik Uddog, Nijera Kori, Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD), Bangladesh Institute of Architecture, Resource Integration Centre (RIK) and Waste Concern, urged the CA to not compromise the interest of a large number of people for the interests of a few in allocating such an open space for a golf course tobebuiltonit.

They called on the CA to preserve the park space for its benefit to all people. They also sought due interference from the Chief Adviser in protecting and preserving other open spaces, parks, playgrounds of the country alongside the Suhrawardy Uuyan.

"Suhrawardy Udyan is recognized in the Master Plan of Dhaka City as a "precious legacy" of the city, considering its importance from historical, cultural and scenic beauty aspects the letter stated. It added that allocation of a large pan of the Udyan to the Club would restrict a large number of people from employing the park as an open space.

Moreover the necessary infrastructure and water availability needed for the golf club cannot be ensured without compromising the public interests concerning the Udyan, the letter pointedout.

Shamsul Huda, Hamida Hossain, Advocate Sultana Kamal, S Rizwana Hasan, Architect Mobashsher Hossain, Zakir Hossain, Khushi Kabir, Abul Hasib Khan and Md Maqsood Sinha signed the letter on hehalfof their organisations.