CU Arts Faculty building may cave in any time

The dilapidated Arts Faculty Building of Chittagong University,left, and its latrine, right, that often remains flooded with stinky water. PHOTO: Zobaer Hossain Sikder

The students, teachers and employees said that they fear working under the roof of this dilapidated four-storey structure. If anything happens many lives will be lost, they said.

They said whenever asked, "the authorities concerned assure us of repairing the building and increasing other facilities. But, the problems are not addressed yet posing a threat to our lives," they added.

They said they will launch an agitation demanding thorough renovation of the building.

Since its construction in 1966, the huge 4-storey building -- presently housing classes of eleven departments and several offices -- has been repaired only once immediately after the cyclonic storm in 1991.

The walls, floors and roof become soggy and leak water even after a little downpour, and plaster starts to come off the ceiling and walls, the students said.

The sewerage system remains blocked due to lack of proper maintenance and often causes inundation on the ground floor during the monsoon, said Rashedul Hasan Sumon, a student of the Communication and Journalism department. Besides, the poor ventilation system presents a suffocating experience in the summer, he said.

"Since no repair work was done for years, we live in fear of major casualties at any moment. It appears that the authorities won't wake up until something like 'Jagannath Hall tragedy" occurs here," AKM Moin Uddin, a student of the philosophy department, said.

"We don't want any repair of the risky building. We are contemplating of a movement for construction of a new arts faculty building or at least a massive renovation work on it, " said Mohammed Saifuddin, a student of the journalism department.

The teachers, who take classes under the same roof, also echoed the same sentiment.

The teachers of the Islamic History and Culture Department a few months ago threatened to refrain from taking classes when some plasters fell from the roof of an office room.

Communication and Journalism Department Chairman Ali Asgar Chowdhury said teachers might follow the path of students and boycott classes if the building is not renovated immediately. He said the condition of the faculty building is indescribable.

The building is also beset with other problems such as serious water and power crises and poor toilet facilities.

The University Engineering Department blamed the faulty design and use of lower quality construction materials for the building's 'vulnerable' state.

Bricks used in it were procured from the coastal area with salinity beyond acceptable levels, sources at the engineering department said. Such bricks don't allow cement to stick to them for long and cause plaster to come out very often, they added.

Vice Chancellor Professor AJM Nuruddin Chowdhury said "the University Grant Commission (UGC) granted more than Tk 2 crore this year for the renovation of the building and hopefully we would start as early as possible.’

"Tender will be floated soon in this regard, " he said.