The two-century-old collectorate building of Barisal was turned into Barisal Divisional Museum in 2015. The museum, completed in 2007, was finally opened for visitors eight years later. But the name of the establishment is not visible anymore.
Arches and the gate have given away their old look to electoral and popularity campaigns of different associate bodies of the ruling Awami League. Banners, posters and billboards have managed to conceal the identity of the 300-metre-long building. They did not only cover the name of the museum but also the brief of the museum right outside the entrance.
Therefore, for a tourist, it will be a great difficulty to tell whether there is actually a museum there or Google Maps has taken him to a wrong destination. From the outside, it looks more like a party office as supporters of Mayor Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah have recently pasted hundreds of posters on the walls and arches.
Sushanta Ghosh, former president of Charukala Barisal, said that political parties should be more responsible while pasting their posters and hanging billboards in the city so that such an important building can be recognized from the outside.
Arif Ur Rahman, assistant custodian in charge of the museum, said: “Billboards have been hung around the building. We have informed the authorities of the situation.”
When contacted by Dhaka Tribune, Deputy Commissioner Shahidul Islam said: “It is the responsibility of the city corporation to remove all the publicity materials, including posters, billboard banners, and festoons from the corporation’s area. As the divisional museum is a public institution, we will request the city corporation to remove the billboards and signboards placed around it.”
Mahmuda Begum, the newly appointed secretary of the city corporation, and Swapan Kuman Das, administrative officer and spokesperson, could not be contacted over the phone for comments.
Mostafizur Rahman Milon, personal assistant-1 of outgoing mayor Abdullah, declined to comment on the issue.
On the other hand, Hasan Mahmud Babu, joint secretary of the city Awami League, said the party will soon remove the banners covering the public building.
