Construction begins for Rajshahi’s first Central Shaheed Minar

The Rajshahi Zilla Parishad has begun the construction work of the city's first Central Shaheed Minar on its own land in Sonadighi area.

The parishad's chairman Mir Iqbal formally inaugurated the construction work today.

The construction is slated to be completed at less than half of the cost estimated by Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) earlier for the project, reports our Rajshahi correspondent.

The one-acre land of the construction site earlier housed Rajshahi Survey Institute. In 2020, after the institute vacated the site, the RCC initiated the process for constructing the Central Shaheed Minar.

On December 16, 2020, Language Movement veteran late Ghulam Arieff Tipoo laid the foundation stone.

RCC floated tender for the project in November 2022, and later approved a contractor to begin the construction in January 2023 at an estimated cost of Tk 16 lakh.

The zilla parishad then intercepted the works, and lodged a complaint with the Local Government Division claiming that the RCC has no authority over the parishad's land.

The parishad also proposed to pursue the project for constructing the Shaheed Minar themselves at a cost of Tk 7.80 lakh.

Acting on the complaint, the LGD called both parties to a meeting in Dhaka in February this year.

The meeting, chaired by LGD secretary Muhammad Ibrahim, asked RCC to use its fund for the project for other development activities in the city, and allowed the parishad to implement its proposal.

The parishad floated a fresh tender and awarded the work to Mim Constructions Limited.

However, the decision to re-inaugurate the project sparked debate on social media, as some argued that it was a disrespect to late Ghulam Arieff Tipoo, while others lauded the project being implemented at a lower cost.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Mir Iqbal expressed deep respect for Tipoo and all other Language Movement martyrs and veterans, and said the parishad is committed to complete the project within the stipulated time.