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Strange beautification

PWD uproots, then plants same grass at Suhrawardy Udyan
TawfiqueAli
The Public Works Department (PWD) is uprooting and then planting the same grass on the 67-acre Suhrawardy Udyan (park) as a "decorative” work but construction of the proposed Independence Memorial Tower is yet to start.
"We plant the same grass that we uproot after levelling the ground," said Abdul Hakim, who was working in the park opposite the Fine Arts Institute of Dhaka University.
Abdul Latif, a supervisor, said they uproot the grass to replace with new patches of grass from other parts of the park. The only difference is that the planted grass is symmetrical in height.
The park has been divided into seven sections and work orders have been awarded to seven contractors for grass plantation, project officials said. The work started in January.
Fazlur Rahman Bhuiya, chief arboriculturist of PWD, said they are planting flat-leaf grass brought from Ramna Park.
But one of the contractors, AD Majumdar Sadhu, said the grass was from Savar.
During visits to the site last week, this correspondent found most of the park's ground levelled and covered with grass.
Several PWD officials said such ornamental work is simply a waste of public money. Even some top project officials seemed critical about the rationale of the enterprise.
Mizan-ul-Alam, the project director and deputy secretary of the liberation war affairs ministry, said: “I agree that the work might become meaningless, as visitors' movement will spoil the planted grass soon." He said he would discuss the matter with higher authorities.
Fazlur Rahman also said it would be impossible to continue the work due to the movement of hundreds of visitors and mobile vendors.
Asked why then they are wasting public money, he said: “I will do half the work and then postpone it.”
The Tk 1.78-crore grass plantation work is part of the much-talked-about Swadhinata Stambha (independence memorial) project.
Dewan Mohammad Yamin, chief engineer of PWD, insisted the initiative was taken in line with the project proposal.
"But an unnecessary job should not be done even if it is in the scheme," he observed.
According to the project proposal, the glass tower was due to be completed by December this year, but the PWD has extended the deadline till June next year.
The process of building a 10-foot model of the tower is underway. Construction of the original tower will begin after the model is approved, sources said.
In 2006, the PWD undertook a similar grass plantation work worth Tk 50 lakh at the green lawn of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in the name of beautification.
It was abandoned temporarily on allegations of anomalies and wastage of public money. However, the department soon resumed the work on the ground of making the soil of the Sangsad Bhaban fertile.