Chattogram's PK Sen Bhaban residents at high risk

Due to the dilapidated condition of PK Sen Bhaban building in Chattogram, its residents are living in a constant fear.

The building is situated on Kazi Nazrul Islam Road in Sadarghat.

At present, five families live there and they fear that accidents may occur at any time as the authorities concerned continue to turn a blind eye to this situation.

Five years ago, building owners, who were aware of its deteriorating condition, signed a contract with AirBell Development Technologies Ltd to replace the existing structure with a new one.

However, locals who wanted to save the old structure and have it designated as a heritage site by the Department of Archaeology opposed them.

The owners were then informed that before beginning any demolition or construction work, the Chattogram City Corporation and the Chattogram Development Authority would need a no objection certificate (NOC) from the Department of Archaeology.

Despite numerous letters from the owners to the Cumilla regional directorate office and visits from department representatives, there has been no progress to date.

The building was recently visited by this correspondent, who found it to be in a fragile condition and left to rot and decay. The walls were faded, cracked, with chunks of plaster falling off.

During the British era, Prafulya Kumar Sen, a zamindar from Raozan upazila, built the structure on a plot of land measuring 16 decimals.

The building was later sold to three brothers -- Sadananda Ghose, Shushil Ghose, and Chintaharan Ghose. During the Liberation War, Sadananda and Shushil moved to India. According to their relatives and locals, Chintaharan stayed but was killed by local collaborators of the occupation army in the exact building.

The locals contend that because the structure was built 129 years ago, it should be preserved as a historical site, but the regional director at the Directorate Office in Cumilla, AKM Syfur Rahman, disagrees.

A year ago, he said, he conducted an inspection of the structure and provided the directorate with a thorough report, claiming that after examining the building's materials, it appeared to be less than 100 years old and had no noteworthy historical significance.

Syfur also mentioned the building's poor condition in his report, which he sent to Dhaka, but he hasn't heard back yet.

Joytu Ghose, a descendant of the property, told The Daily Star that they live in the building in a constant state of fear.

The government can pay them the current market value of the property if the building has any historical value to be recognised as a heritage site, he said.

However, the issue has been lingering for several years, putting their lives at risk. He urged the authorities to take immediate measures to ensure their safety.