Ruplal House, a grand 19th century building or mansion in Farashganj of the older part of Dhaka city, has been illegally encroached by different people and a wholesale market of spices, onions, ginger and garlic is being run in the historic building.
However, the authorities concerned have been silent in this regard for a very long time, even after the government declared the building as a national archaeological site in 1989.
At least 32 wholesale shops have been operating on the first floor of the two-storey building, while on the second floor a few households have been established without any permission from the Department of Archaeology.
Jahangirnagar University’s professor of archaeology Shah Shufi Mustafizur Rahman said the lack of good will from the government to preserve archaeological sites of the country is the reason behind the poor situation of the sector.
Like Ruplal House, Chhoto Katra and Boro Katra in Old Dhaka are also facing similar fates due to lack of government intervention, he said, adding that the government should formulate a master plan to preserve the archaeological sites of the country.
Regional Director of the Department of Archaeology, Dr Ataur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune that they could do nothing to preserve the archaeological site, as the district authorities did not hand the building over to them.
On the other hand, district authority sources said, due to continuing lawsuits in the court regarding the ownership of the building, they could not proceed any further to occupy the house.
Currently, several cases by different people trying to claim the ownership of the house have been on in the High court and lower court for the ownership of the building that was built by Ruplal Das, a businessman, during 1862-1887. His grandsons – Jogendra Das and Tarkanath Das – lived in the house until they left the country in 1961.
In 1962, Mohammad Siddique Jamal and his younger brother Ibrahim Jamal, bought the house through a deed of exchange and renamed it “Jamal House.”
Jamal’s family left the country during the liberation war in 1971, transferring the power of attorney to someone named Ragib Ali, said Haridas Banik, son of Shashibhushan Banik who was appointed by Ruplal Das as the caretaker of the house, said.
However, according to the Department of Archaeology, the building was considered an abandoned property following the liberation war.
Like Ruplal House, there are 36 other enlisted archaeological sites in Dhaka that are being illegally encroached by dishonest grabbers and businessmen.