Just months ago, the parliamentary residential buildings near Manik Mia Avenue painted a very different picture. These buildings housed members of parliament (MPs) and their families.
The area was always bustling with visitors – relatives of MPs and ministers, party activists seeking favours, and lobbyists.
In the afternoons, children played outside, their laughter and chatter filling the air.
However, after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, following a student-led mass uprising, the scene changed dramatically. Silence descended upon the once-busy complexes, turning them into a ghostly place at night.
But recently, some flats in these buildings have been lighting up at night, raising curiosity – if parliament is now inactive, who is staying in these MPs’ residences?
Origins
The NAM buildings were constructed in the late 1990s in preparation for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Dhaka.
These buildings – located on Manik Mia Avenue and in Nakhalpara and Mirpur – were originally meant to house foreign delegates attending the summit.
However, in the eighth parliament, all the flats in the NAM buildings were allocated to MPs.
On Manik Mia Avenue there are six such buildings, containing a total of 240 flats.
MPs lived there with their families, paying a nominal rent.
According to sources familiar with the matter, on the day of the Awami League’s ousting, August 5, most ministers and MPs’ family members fled to safe locations, sensing the impending danger.
Many MPs had already left for their constituencies, as no parliamentary session was in progress.
Following the government’s fall, enraged protesters vandalized the parliament complex, prime minister’s residence (Ganabhaban) and NAM buildings.
Since then, except for a few staff members, the buildings remained mostly deserted.
Who is staying there now?
On Wednesday evening, a visit to the area revealed a desolate and eerie atmosphere.
A few police officers were on duty for security.
Of the six buildings, lights were seen only in a few flats in buildings 1 and 3, while the rest remained dark.
When asked who was staying in these buildings, caretaker Humayun Kabir said some rooms in these two buildings were being used as temporary camps for the army and police.
He mentioned that some furniture and belongings of former MPs’ families remained in the flats.
“We have sent letters requesting them to collect their belongings, but most have not responded. A few family members have come and taken some items, but much remains untouched,” Humayun added.
A reception staff member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said some prosecutors from the International Crimes Tribunal’s prosecution team were also staying there.
Legal and administrative issues
The NAM buildings are under the jurisdiction of the Parliament Secretariat.
When this correspondent repeatedly tried to contact Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division Secretary Dr Hafiz Ahmed Chowdhury for clarification, he did not respond.
Later, when contacted, ICT Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim confirmed their stay in the buildings.
“We had requested government housing near the Supreme Court, in areas like New Market or Bailey Road, but no suitable accommodations were available. These NAM buildings had been vacant for a long time, generating no revenue.
“Considering all factors, the Ministry of Housing and Public Works granted us permission to stay there on a rental basis. The rent is deducted from our salaries. However, due to the location being far, not all prosecutors have opted to stay here.”
When asked how the housing ministry could allocate these flats despite the Parliament Secretariat’s authority, he said: “After the MPs left, the Parliament Secretariat handed over responsibility for these buildings to the ministry.”
Another prosecutor, BM Sultan Mahmud, confirmed that prosecutors Gazi MH Tamim and Barrister Moinul Karim were residing there with approval from the ministry.
“They have official allocation letters from the ministry, and the rent is deducted from their salaries as per regulations,” he added.
Sultan said he himself had also been allocated a flat but decided not to move in due to the inconvenience of travelling from there.