12 Jagannath University halls in wrong hands for 22 years
Saturday, 14 July 2007
Land-grabbers, local commissioners, influential groups and student leaders have kept 12 dormitories of the Jagannath University (JU) unlawfully occupied for the last 22 years, reports bdnews24.com.
The JU authorities have failed to handle the illegal occupants of the hostels meant for university students.
Most of the current JU teachers and students do not even know the number of the university halls or what state they are in. Those who know just keep their mouths shut.
"We have formed a high-power inventory committee and engaged a chartered account firm to look into the hall documents. Once we get their reports, we'll move to restore their possession", JU Vice-Chancellor Sirajul Islam Khan said.
University officials preferring anonymity said after founding Jagannath College in 1884, authorities purchased two houses for use as dormitories and took lease of the rest.
Of them, eight were built before 1971 and four after independence.
The officials said clashes between hall students and local hooligans in February 1985 left the students evicted from the halls. The hooligans rampaged the halls of residence before torching them.
Later, the education ministry officials twice visited the halls.
The students, however, were not allowed to stay in the halls, which were occupied mostly by outsiders excepting a few student leaders towing the grabbers-miscreants.
The authorities filed cases in a bid to restore the possession of the halls and won them. But for reasons inexplicable, the authorities did never get the possession of the hostels back.
In 2005, JU Project Director Ayesha Shirin and a former planning secretary visited the university.
They asked Dhaka Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abdul Bari to restore possession of the halls on behalf of the university.
They also instructed Additional Deputy Commi-ssioner (ADC) Delwar Hossain to submit a completion report.
But the orders were not obeyed.
Incumbent VC Sirajul Islam Khan has visited the halls and formed an inventory committee, which also has not come up with anything to show for.
The students launched several movements for restoring the halls, but the authorities somehow managed not to take any concrete step.
The JU authorities have failed to handle the illegal occupants of the hostels meant for university students.
Most of the current JU teachers and students do not even know the number of the university halls or what state they are in. Those who know just keep their mouths shut.
"We have formed a high-power inventory committee and engaged a chartered account firm to look into the hall documents. Once we get their reports, we'll move to restore their possession", JU Vice-Chancellor Sirajul Islam Khan said.
University officials preferring anonymity said after founding Jagannath College in 1884, authorities purchased two houses for use as dormitories and took lease of the rest.
Of them, eight were built before 1971 and four after independence.
The officials said clashes between hall students and local hooligans in February 1985 left the students evicted from the halls. The hooligans rampaged the halls of residence before torching them.
Later, the education ministry officials twice visited the halls.
The students, however, were not allowed to stay in the halls, which were occupied mostly by outsiders excepting a few student leaders towing the grabbers-miscreants.
The authorities filed cases in a bid to restore the possession of the halls and won them. But for reasons inexplicable, the authorities did never get the possession of the hostels back.
In 2005, JU Project Director Ayesha Shirin and a former planning secretary visited the university.
They asked Dhaka Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abdul Bari to restore possession of the halls on behalf of the university.
They also instructed Additional Deputy Commi-ssioner (ADC) Delwar Hossain to submit a completion report.
But the orders were not obeyed.
Incumbent VC Sirajul Islam Khan has visited the halls and formed an inventory committee, which also has not come up with anything to show for.
The students launched several movements for restoring the halls, but the authorities somehow managed not to take any concrete step.