Mujahidul Islam, JB Correspondent
In a meeting chaired by the university's vice-chancellor regarding the issue of resolving the housing crisis and building halls for students at Jagannath University, stakeholders decided to build concrete buildings and permanent structures, rather than steel, to resolve the housing crisis.
The meeting was held in the Vice-Chancellor's conference room on Monday (February 10, 2025).
At the meeting, Lieutenant Colonel Iftekhar Alam said, the work of formulating the DPP for the second campus has already been completed. Resources have also been mobilized. The work will start as soon as the funds are released. Plans are underway to start work quickly by setting up the army camp. The army has been asked to complete the work of the first phase by December 2026. We hope this will be possible as soon as possible.
He also said that the two halls of Jagannath University (Bani Bhaban and Habibur Rahman Hall) do not belong entirely to Jagannath University. It is not known in the two letters issued by the DC's office in October that Jagannath University will be able to use these two halls temporarily. Therefore, we want to plan today what kind of structure can be built there.
He also mentioned the problems of steel structure construction. Among them are the inability to bring large cranes, the road is short (11-18 feet), there are not enough ready-made materials for the construction of the structure, it cannot be fireproofed, even if it is done, it is expensive, there is no or less skilled labor in our country, the concrete structure will take 20 to 30 times less time compared to the construction of steel, while the cost of construction is comparatively much higher. It is possible to build the new campus at a cost of 20-25 percent less than the surrounding environment of the two halls.
Dhaka District ADC Parvez Chowdhury said, "We know how much the university students are suffering. Even though the two halls are in the name of Jagannath University, the university can use them by setting up a temporary structure. If we talk to the District Commissioner, he also wants to cooperate sincerely. We will also talk to the prominent people or leaders of the area."
It was not possible to take a final decision on the matter at today's meeting, which will be followed by a meeting with the people of the area and the university administration will make a decision together with the army and the district administration, prioritizing the accommodation system for students.
In the meeting, the university's vice-chancellor, treasurer, president and general secretary of the teachers' association, members of the student affairs committee, and leaders of the university's Chhatra Dal, Chhatra Shibir, Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, Islamic Student Movement, and Socialist Student Front expressed their views and gave special directions for decision-making.
Leaders of the university's journalist organization Job Reporters Unity, the Journalists Association, and the Press Club were present at the meeting as stake hollanders.
