Not enough fund to acquire land: mayor

Rajshahi Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton yesterday said they were knocking down the boundary wall of Rajshahi Government College for expanding a road due to lack of funds to acquire land.

"We couldn't manage funds for acquiring land for the road expansion works, that's why we're displacing the college's boundary wall on the basis of verbal consensus with the college authority," the mayor said.

Mayor Liton was exchanging views with Rajshahi-based journalists at the auditorium of Rajshahi Nagar Bhaban.

The Daily Star published a report on July 21 titled 'Development at cost of heritage', regarding Rajshahi City Corporation's (RCC) move to knock down the structure. 

The news reported that the corporation was expanding a road and installing a drain by tearing down the 147-year-old boundary wall, a colonial-era architectural heritage.

Refering to the report, the mayor said RCC's plan was to tear down the entire boundary wall, but after discussions with college authorities, they decided not to touch the boundary wall in front of the college's administrative building.

"Our work shall remain limited to only the part of the wall in front of the Great Queen Hemanta Kumari Hindu Hostel and its adjacent Muslim Hostel," he said.

"In order to conserve the heritage, we will erect a same boundary wall some yards inside the college premises before dismantling the old one," he said.

He said RCC would consult archaeological experts and officials before the dismantling process, and involve those skilled in working at archaeological sites. The mayor said the expansion of the road was essential, as it is the city's main road and the traffic on it causes suffering for city commuters.

"When expanded, the road with footpaths on both sides will beautify the city," he said, adding that most of southern side of the 800-metre road from Moni Chattar to Varendra Reseach Museum is owned by the college, while its opposite side was owned by a number of government and private authorities.

"Therefore, expanding the road on its northern side is difficult and time-consuming," he said.

Liton also shared plans to protect Dutch heritage site Bara Kuthi. He added that RCC's plans were not progressing for non-cooperation of Rajshahi University authorities, who have left it uncared for a long time.

The mayor also shared several other of the city corporation's development plans with journalists at the meeting.