Severe structural damage done to the Barisal City Corporation’s five-storey annex building on the day of the fall of the Awami League government last month has left engineers worried about whether the building can be saved or has to be rebuilt at a huge cost.
Ahsan Uddin Romel, the public relations officer of the BCC, said due to extensive vandalism and arson, the structure had been severely compromised.
“Engineers say the building cannot be repaired and must be rebuilt. The damage to this building alone has been assessed at over Tk12.31 crore."
The annex building housed public health department supplies, including vaccines, logistics materials, Vitamin A capsules, birth and death registration equipment, and furniture, all of which were destroyed in the fire.
Mosquito control equipment, medicines and various other materials were reduced to ashes, and the cleaning department's equipment and furniture on the ground floor were also burned.
"The damage to electrical equipment around Bibir Pukur on Sadar Road amounts to Tk3.83 lakh due to vandalism. Partial vandalism of the three-storey Nagar Bhaban on Fazlul Haque Avenue caused damages amounting to Tk7.23 lakh. The five-storey auditorium near the city's central Shaheed Minar suffered damage amounting to Tk4.41 crore. In total, the BCC’s losses stand at Tk18.75 crore," Romel said.
Md Showkat Ali, BCC administrator and Barisal divisional commissioner, said that soon after taking charge, he assessed the damage to these buildings and reported it to the relevant ministry.
“However, there has been no confirmation yet regarding the allocation of funds. It seems that we will have to cover the damages from our own revenue.
"From my short time in office, I have realized that it is not possible to cover such damages from the BCC's revenue, especially when the city corporation is struggling to pay the salaries of its 500-600 employees. Nonetheless, efforts are underway to secure funds from the ministry for the restoration work."