News Desk :
With no visible effort to recover the halls of Jagannath University that were occupied by locals and others, the students continue to suffer due to a lack of accommodation stay, reports bdnews24.com.
The university authorities are looking for the government support for the recovery of the halls, which had actually been abandoned buildings.
The students lost control of all the dormitories other than Ajmal Hall, Bani Bhaban and Ershad Hall, which is currently the Arts Building of the university, reportedly during a dispute with the locals in 1985.
Two students took back control of two of the halls through movements after the institution was transformed into a university from college.
Alamgir Sikdar Loton, former vice-president of the last Jagannath College Central Students’ Council in the late 1980s, said the home ministry ordered the students to vacate the halls after the collapse of the Dhaka University’s Jagannath Hall in 1985.
Sirajul Islam, a former leader of the university unit of Banglaesh Chhatra League who led a movement in 2014 to recover the halls, said the campus was closed during the regime of HM Ershad following clashes between the locals and students. Later, influential people in Old Dhaka took control of the buildings.
These halls include Waizghat’s Tibet Hall, where MP Haji Mohammad Selim has constructed a market, claiming that he had bought the property for his wife from its owner. Recently, students organised protests to recover the hall.
A number of policemen currently stay at Abdur Rahman Hall in Armanitola with their families as a case over its ownership is being heard by the court.
Ilias Hossain, assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said they plan to set up ‘Bangshal Police Station’ at the building once the case is disposed of.
Anwar Shafique Hall at Mahuttuli has been demolished. The land now houses a tin-roofed warehouse of chemicals. The workers said it has “several owners”. Neither the workers, nor the locals could name any of the “owners”. One of the locals, Obaidur Rahman, said the people who have taken control of the land put up ownership signboards by using fake names to be safe from the law.
The students recovered parts of Nazrul Islam Hall at Wari through a movement in 2014, but the locals still control the rest of the property housing a warehouse and rooms rented out to families who declined to name the “landlord”.
Locals, who requested anonymity fearing repercussion, said a businessman named “Hossain” control the grabbed parts of the property. Hossain is the president of Sheet-cutting Market Traders Association President, according to a former student leader of the university.
Hossain’s son “Hemel” said his family would not talk about the issue. The students residing in the hall now lamented a lack of efforts by the university administration to recover the rest of the property.
The Principal Saidur Rahman and Abdur Rahman Rauf Hall has also been demolished and turned into a tin-roofed warehouse, which never opens in daylight, said the locals.
A signboard on the warehouse says the goods are liable to the Nawabpur Road Corporate Branch of the Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited.
An official at the bank admitted to investing in the goods, but declined to give further details.
An eight-storey building was constructed on the land that had housed Shaheed Shahabuddin Hall at Tantibazar.
Locals said Awami League leader Aminul Islam Biplob took control of the property and sold flats and shops to different people. Biplob could not be reached for comments.
Ajamal Hossain Hall changed hands different times. It now has a signboard claiming ownership by “Begum Rokeya (Martyr’s Family)”. The building has offices of several cooperative societies and printing press. No-one agreed to comment on the ownership.
Patuatali’s Karmachari Abas, where the employees of the institution had lived once, is now the six-storey Crown Market. The shopkeepers said different people bought possessions of the shops, but none could name the “original” owners.
Thousands of students tried to recover the Ajmal Hall and Karmachari Abas in 2014 but failed due to resistance built by the police and locals.
Bazlur Rahman Hall at Bangshal has been transformed into a school. An education ministry committee formed in 2009 following student protests recommended renting the halls from the locals. The university applied for long-term leases, but got back only Habibur Rahman Hall.
With no visible effort to recover the halls of Jagannath University that were occupied by locals and others, the students continue to suffer due to a lack of accommodation stay, reports bdnews24.com.
The university authorities are looking for the government support for the recovery of the halls, which had actually been abandoned buildings.
The students lost control of all the dormitories other than Ajmal Hall, Bani Bhaban and Ershad Hall, which is currently the Arts Building of the university, reportedly during a dispute with the locals in 1985.
Two students took back control of two of the halls through movements after the institution was transformed into a university from college.
Alamgir Sikdar Loton, former vice-president of the last Jagannath College Central Students’ Council in the late 1980s, said the home ministry ordered the students to vacate the halls after the collapse of the Dhaka University’s Jagannath Hall in 1985.
Sirajul Islam, a former leader of the university unit of Banglaesh Chhatra League who led a movement in 2014 to recover the halls, said the campus was closed during the regime of HM Ershad following clashes between the locals and students. Later, influential people in Old Dhaka took control of the buildings.
These halls include Waizghat’s Tibet Hall, where MP Haji Mohammad Selim has constructed a market, claiming that he had bought the property for his wife from its owner. Recently, students organised protests to recover the hall.
A number of policemen currently stay at Abdur Rahman Hall in Armanitola with their families as a case over its ownership is being heard by the court.
Ilias Hossain, assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said they plan to set up ‘Bangshal Police Station’ at the building once the case is disposed of.
Anwar Shafique Hall at Mahuttuli has been demolished. The land now houses a tin-roofed warehouse of chemicals. The workers said it has “several owners”. Neither the workers, nor the locals could name any of the “owners”. One of the locals, Obaidur Rahman, said the people who have taken control of the land put up ownership signboards by using fake names to be safe from the law.
The students recovered parts of Nazrul Islam Hall at Wari through a movement in 2014, but the locals still control the rest of the property housing a warehouse and rooms rented out to families who declined to name the “landlord”.
Locals, who requested anonymity fearing repercussion, said a businessman named “Hossain” control the grabbed parts of the property. Hossain is the president of Sheet-cutting Market Traders Association President, according to a former student leader of the university.
Hossain’s son “Hemel” said his family would not talk about the issue. The students residing in the hall now lamented a lack of efforts by the university administration to recover the rest of the property.
The Principal Saidur Rahman and Abdur Rahman Rauf Hall has also been demolished and turned into a tin-roofed warehouse, which never opens in daylight, said the locals.
A signboard on the warehouse says the goods are liable to the Nawabpur Road Corporate Branch of the Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited.
An official at the bank admitted to investing in the goods, but declined to give further details.
An eight-storey building was constructed on the land that had housed Shaheed Shahabuddin Hall at Tantibazar.
Locals said Awami League leader Aminul Islam Biplob took control of the property and sold flats and shops to different people. Biplob could not be reached for comments.
Ajamal Hossain Hall changed hands different times. It now has a signboard claiming ownership by “Begum Rokeya (Martyr’s Family)”. The building has offices of several cooperative societies and printing press. No-one agreed to comment on the ownership.
Patuatali’s Karmachari Abas, where the employees of the institution had lived once, is now the six-storey Crown Market. The shopkeepers said different people bought possessions of the shops, but none could name the “original” owners.
Thousands of students tried to recover the Ajmal Hall and Karmachari Abas in 2014 but failed due to resistance built by the police and locals.
Bazlur Rahman Hall at Bangshal has been transformed into a school. An education ministry committee formed in 2009 following student protests recommended renting the halls from the locals. The university applied for long-term leases, but got back only Habibur Rahman Hall.
