Grabbers occupy ancient buildings of Panam Nagar

Some of the 52 ancient buildings built by Hindu landlords and merchants during the 16th century at Panam Nagar of Sonargaon in Narayanganj have either gone under illegal occupation or facing extinction due to lack of maintenance, reports The Independent.
In 2003, the government declared the Panam Nagar, 27 kilometres southeast of Dhaka city, as a protected site under the Antiquity Act of 1964. But this did not stop the greedy people from occupying several buildings having much architectural importance.
The encroachers and the locals have set up shops inside them defacing their beauty and charming look.
An influential quarter have already occupied 10 buildings through preparing fake documents and living their illegally.
Locals alleged that some Sayeedur Molla, Hasan Khondaker and Solaiman Bepari are the illegal occupiers.
Hasan Khondaker, who claimed a freedom fighter and an illegal boarder of the building, said, “My friend Sayeedur Molla, chairman of the Sonargaon municipality, is the owner of this building. He bought this building from a Hindu Zeminders.” 
Replying to a query, he said, many newspapers had written against them. “We are living for this building in the last five years.”
Hiron Molla, a local resident, said, “We never heard that the Hindu Zeminders sold their houses to others. They left the Panam Nagar after the partition in 1947.”
Locals as well as migrated people from different districts of the country have been living in many of the buildings after occupying them illegally. Besides, rickshaw garages have been set up in some of them. The World Monuments Fund has listed Panam Nagar in 2006 as one of the most endangered heritage sites.
Locals alleged that some employees of the archaeology department under cultural affairs ministry regularly collect toll from the illegal occupants of these buildings.
An owner of a rickshaw garage said on condition of anonymity that he has to pay Tk 2,000 per month to a local muscleman.
Director general of the archaeology department Shafiqul Islam told The Independent yesterday that some land grabbers are trying to occupy several hundred-year-old buildings and lands of Panam Nagar by filing civil cases.” But we should protect and preserve them at any cost”, he said.
He also expressed his determination to evict the illegal occupants of these buildings.
He pointed out that a number of illegal occupants vacated the buildings during the tenure of last caretaker government. But they have again come back to these buildings in recent times, he informed.
After the UNESCO regretted to offer financial assistance, the government has taken a project to protect the heritage sites at a cost of about Tk three crore.
The archaeology department will construct walls around the Panam Nagar to save the ancient buildings from the encroachers. One kilometre long alternative road will also be constructed by the local government along the Panam Nagar, he said.
Director of Bangladesh Folk Art and Crafts foundation Rabindra Gope said the government should protect the ‘Panam Nagar’ by constructing boundary wall to protect the buildings of historical importance.
At present there are 372 heritage sites and monuments across the country. The government has declared them as protected areas under the Antiquity Act. Two sites, Shat gambuj mosque of Bagerhat and Paharpur Buddhist Vihara of Naogaon have been declared World Cultural Heritage Sites.
The list of heritage sites has been made considering their historical aesthetic, scientific, social, cultural, religious and political importance.
The Panam Nagar is encircled by the Meghna and Shitalakhya rivers. It was the hub of many business activities when it was build. Various kinds of merchandise were brought here through river routes mainly by the Hindu merchants.
Sonargaon has a rich history of 250-300 years.It established its reputation as an international trade centre and Panam was a part of it. It is a silent witness to the change of the Muslim rule and the beginning of the British occupation.
The outer surface of the structures of the buildings at Panam Nagar are totally colonial in style  but the application of inner courtyard, streets and canals reflect local tradition and climatic adaptation, according to archaeologists.
Panam or Painam nagar stretched in a single street 5 metres wide on the average and 600 metres in length. All the buildings have the character of urban street front houses and are lined up on either side of this street. A total of 52 houses exist in dilapidated and disused condition.

Courtesy of The Independent