A costly complex underutilised

The magnificent Rokeya Smriti Kenda lies almost idle for lack of fund. PHOTO: STAR

The magnificent Begum Rokeya Smriti Kendra was built at her birth place --Payraband-- at a cost of Tk 3.78 crore to help people know about the torchbearer who had tried to pull women out of darkness and to promote culture and women's development.

But its purpose is being missed. The Smriti Kendra, built and run by Bangla Academy, is beset with manifold problems.

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The main problem is lack of funds which hinders women's training on different vocations and cultural activities.

Already, people have become skeptical about future of centre. Many of them in the area this correspondent talked to said they are frustrated. They said the centre has all the facilities but those are underutilised.

The centre has different programmes including women's training on sewing and music but those can not be implemented due to lack of funds, its officials said.

The centre formally launched its activities four months back but it is now limping for fund constraints.

It has also a project for research on Begum Rokeya. The centre is suppose to facilitate students with research materials on Begum Rockeya. Bangla Academy is supposed to give the researchers fellowship when they complete research.

"Many students show interest in research on her but we are yet to start it due to absence of guidance," said Abdullah-al Faruque, Deputy Director of Bangla Academy, posted at the centre.

An archive to preserve and display Begum Rockeya's used articles can not be created for lack of funds. The articles are being damaged. Many visitors come to see the cnetre but are dissatisfied as they can not see any archive on Begum Rokeya, he said.

Other sources at the centre said instructors, officials and other staff are not getting their salary regularly due to lack of funds.

Programmes like training on tailoring and music have been started but these cannot be run smoothly due to lack of funds, they said.

Fifty female students have been enrolled for a six-month training on sewing but this is being hampered for lack of logistic support, the sources said. There is also a programme for training on handicrafts making to make unemployed and distressed women self-reliant through income-generating activities.

Seventy students were enrolled in the Music Department. But the programme is being hampered as there is only one instructor, many of the trainees told this correspondent.