The reconstruction of Rajshahi University Motihar Hall is yet to be finished though it was scheduled to be completed within 2009, said the sources in the university.
When contacted over phone, RU vice-chancellor Abdus Sobhan on Saturday, admitting to the authorities’ failure to complete the hall reconstruction, blamed inadequate fund for this.
Earlier, the hall deputy register, Golam Hossain, had also said the authorities had failed to complete the work within the scheduled time for inadequate funds.
However, the pro-vice-chancellor, Mohammad Nurullah, said the hall authorities’ negligence was responsible for the present condition, not the fund crisis.
The authorities had already started shifting the students of the hall to other halls for reconstruction of the old tin-shed building set up in 1955.
The construction of a four-storey building with a fund of Tk 1.48 crore started in April 2008, and till date, only the construction of the ground floor was completed.
In reply to a question, whether the university authorities would send a notice to the builders to show the reasons they failed to complete the work in due time, pro-vice-chancellor Mohammad Nurullah admitted his complete ignorance in this regard.
The university authorities have been attaching new bachelor’s degree students to the hall from 2009-10 session, but failed to allot seats to them in the partially completed building for lack of furniture.
As a result, the students are facing severe accommodation crisis, claimed the students.
Motihar Hall deputy register Golam Hossain told New Age that they would possibly allot seats to 108 students in 27 rooms on the ground floor of the hall within a short time after manufacturing the furniture.
Motihar Hall student Zahangir Alam, studies economics, told New Age that he, including about 400 students, had been compelled to reside in boarding houses outside the campus as they had no seat in the hall.
RU chief engineer Abdur Rahim said without more fund allocation it would not be possible to complete the rest of the work.
The allocated fund was sufficient for only the construction of the ground floor, he added.
Pro-vice-chancellor Mohammad Nurullah told New Age that they had enough fund to complete the work immediately.
He, however, said the university authorities were trying to finish the work as early as possible to solve the accommodation crisis.
