Tenants bar demolition of risky market
Built in 1975, Raja Mansion has been an integral part of the post-Liberation War literary and cultural history of Sylhet.
This multi-storey market in the city's Zindabazar area, built by the family of legendary mystic poet Hason Raja, houses numerous bookstores and remains a must-visit place for students and youngsters.
However over time, the three-storey building has become dilapidated. After the recent series of earthquakes in the city, Sylhet City Corporation (SCC), based on experts' suggestions, flagged it as "risky".
In line with that, owners of the building also wanted to demolish the market. This decision, however, is being opposed by the tenant, who said the building is just "rusty" and not risky.
Shamsher Raja Chowdhury, great grandson of Hason Raja and owner of the building, on Thursday held a press conference in the city in this regard.
He expressed grave concern over the present condition of the structure and said a disaster can take place any time due to the risky condition of the market.
He also questioned the city authorities' "mysterious" decision of reopening the market even after it was termed "risky" by experts, and the tenants' risky move of keeping the shops open, putting lives in danger.
On May 29, Sylhet experienced four mild tremors within four hours, followed by another one the next morning.
In response to the threat of a major earthquake, the city corporation on May 30 closed six commercial buildings for ten days, including Raja Mansion.
The corporation on June 2 also served notices to the owner of Raja Mansion to conduct a retrofitting study within a month.
SCC later consulted with the experts of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology to inspect the buildings to specify how risky they were.
A team led by Prof Jahir Bin Alam and Prof Mostaque Ahmed of the university's civil engineering and environment department on June 10 inspected all six buildings and termed them "risky" for earthquakes.
However, the city authorities said they reopened the buildings "on demand of tenants".
Earlier on June 5, Raja Mansion Byabsayi Samity held a meeting, protesting the decision to term the market "risky".
In the meeting, presided over by the samity's chief adviser Abul Boshor, tenants said the building has a five-storey foundation and is not risky.
"In 2016, the city corporation said the front column of the market is risky, and we repaired that part. As the building is not properly maintained, it looks rusty and risky; but the base is still strong," they added.
On June 22, the tenants served a legal notice to the owners, stating that they [owners] failed to get a retrofitting certificate and will be liable for losses due to an earthquake.
Asked, Shamsher Raja said, "For decades, we've considered the building as part of our family tradition and never charged tenants exorbitant rent."
"We receive only Tk 50,000 as rent from 187 shops, while tenants sub-rent the stores and earn at least Tk 25 lakh," he claimed.
"Though experts termed the building risky, on which ground the city corporation reopened it for business?" he asked, adding that they want this building to be declared abandoned.
He said, "We want to demolish the building and construct a new multi-storey complex. We also promised to rent the first three floors to existing and listed tenants."
Contacted, Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury said, "Experts termed the building risky, but they also need further tests to confirm how risky it is and the possibility of retrofitting it. Only after getting the reports, we can take legal action in this regard."
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