Prime Bank Limited yesterday donated Tk 20 lakh to Oitihya Onneswan to help the excavation work at Wari-Bateshwar site in Narsingdi.
Prof Sufi Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of Oitihya Onneswan, which is running the Wari-Bateshwar Research Project, accepted the cheque from the bank's managing director, Shahjahan Bhuiyan, at a press conference at the National Press Club.
“Since Prime Bank values the need to uphold the country's tradition and culture, it has decided to assist in the excavation at Wari-Bateshwar -- an excavation to discover the country's past,” Shahjahan Bhuiyan said.
He also assured the project of further assistance in future saying the bank's move stems from a sense of social responsibility
Thanking Prime Bank for its assistance, Sufi Mustafizur Rahman also called on other private organisations to come forward to help the research saying that it is not always possible for the government to fund such programmes all by itself
“We want to set up an outdoor and an indoor museum at the site,” said Mustafizur, also an archaeology professor at Jahangirnagar University. He embarked on the mission to “dig into the roots” at Wari-Bateshwar in 2000.
Sabur Khan and Inam ul Haque, two trustees of Oitihya Onneshan, also attended the programme.
Mustafizur led seven excavations at the site. In 2000, International Centre for Study of Bengal Arts funded the excavation while The Daily Star, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh and a private citizen, Captain Imam Anwar, funding it in 2002, 2004 and 2005 respectively.
Grameen Phone funded the excavations in 2006 and 2007.