In a bid to projecting the significance of the 1971 liberation war before the young generation, the Liberation War Museum authorities have planned to build a fully-fledged museum with modern facilities in the Dhaka city.
The LWM sources said Tk 60 crore has been earmarked for building the six-storey building on 0.82 acres (over 2.5 bighas) of land at the city’s Agargaon and necessary works on architectural design had already completed to that end.
‘We are expecting to start construction works of the Liberation War Museum before the upcoming Victory Day (December 16),’ AKM Mahbubul Alam, general manager of the LWM, told the news agency.
Alam said the LWM, now located in a rented house at Segunbagicha in the city, had been suffering from space constraints which hinders exhibition of many objects at a time.
The six-storey building would have numerous display of objects in six galleries include history and rich heritage of Bengali culture, Pakistan period (1947-1971), denial of popular verdict by Pakistani rulers, non- cooperation movement of March,1971, he said.
When asked about the financial sources, the LWM official said the government had sanctioned Tk 5 crore while bankers, businessmen and individuals extended their supports of Tk 31 crore to the project. Besides, the LWM got overwhelming moral supports from all sections, he said.
He said the main objective of the museum was to educate the new generation with the history of independence so that they could feel proud of their motherland and get imbued with the spirit of patriotism and liberal democratic ideas.
‘We are carrying the achievement of 1971 forward for the future generation,’ said Alam, a retired government joint-secretary.
Talking to the news agency, architect Tanzim Hasan Salim said efforts would be made as far as possible to give a clear idea about the armed struggle of the Liberation War and its spirit in the design of the new building.
The LWM, which bears testimony to the supreme sacrifice made by the people of Bangladesh to realise freedom, was established in 1996.
According to the LWM sources, the museum has now 1,600 objects put on display and more than 15,000 in archive including arms and ammunitions, letters, media coverage and body parts used in 1971.
