Dhaka – Jahangirnagar University (JU) with the financial assistance by Mojid-Mollah foundation is going to build a six storied convention center titled “Abdul Kadir Mollah Convention Center” this year.
Abdul Kadir Molah, chairman and managing director of Thermax Group, is funding the center whose foundation stone was laid on January 12.JU Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Farzana Islam had laid the foundation stone at university Targan Point, one of the most gathering places adjoining university’s social science faculty.
According to the university registrar office, this convention center will be furnished with three parts. The main portion will be included a hall room have capacity of mass gatherings.
The another part of the center will be included alongside two seminar rooms while the other part of the center will be furnished with international quality guest room with the capacity of around 50 guests.
This construction work will be supervised by Abdul Kadir Mollah’s own construction farm as well as they will bear overall cost.
This construction work will be started within one month while the construction farm will hand over this convention center complex within this year, registrar officials said.
Meanwhile, as Abdul Kadir Mollah is not an intellectual personality there has been intense debate about the convention center.
Moreover, the students demanded dormitories and enhancing library facilities instead of it.
So, after the setting up the foundation of this center by university VC, a storm of criticism was brought in social network sites.
Besides, treating Kadir Mollh as a controversial man; the students had stood against this project alleging how a public university named after a convention center of such a controversial man.
Finally, some students went on movement demanding the exclusion of this private project.
As a part of the movement, on Sunday, around 150 students from different departments and institutes brought out a protest procession under the banner of “General students of JU” from the Pritilota Hall premises and ended at the JU Tarjan point through parading the main street of the campus.
The agitate students also placed a memorandum to the University Vice Chancellor Prof Farzana Islam around 11:00 am.
They also highlighted a six point demand to the university authority including the abolition of Kader Mollah convention center from the Targant point.
Sushmita Moriom, one of the protestor said, “No private project will be allowed here as JU is a public university, every infrastructure of the public university will must be financed by government”.
Raising the objection about the name of proposed convention center, one of the protestor Jubair Tipu said, businessman Abdul Kadir Mollha is neither intellectual nor scientist. So at the university level, it’s quite inappropriate that it’s infrastructure to be name after to him.
In face of the protest, the university administration by a press release said, there is no commercial purpose behind making the conventional center here. This infrastructure will be constructed to promote the education and research activities in the campus.
Besides, the university authority urged for cooperation to the students to build this multi-purpose convention center.
When contacted JU Vice Chancellor Dr. Farjana Islam told reporters that, ‘We will take money form Mojid-Mollah foundation under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) act to construct this convention center. Mojid-Mollah foundation has no interest in this project here. As recognition of this work, we take decision to name the convention center after Abdul Kader Mollah which was approved in the university syndicate earlier’.
‘Moreover, it’s quite impossible to construct such type of infrastructure within a year by government funding. That’s why we approved this proposal. Mojid-Mollah foundation has no interest here’.
On the matter of opposition of students, she said, ‘We are always on their side. We approved this construction thinking about their fasciitis and there is no commercial purpose behind this project. But we are trying to solve this objection by discussion with them. We receive the memorandum of student. We will consider this matter’. – Staff Reporter
