The 'Further Development Project of Jahangirnagar University' is causing significant damage to the environment.
A large number of trees have been cut down in the project area, resulting in birds and other animals losing their habitats. Additionally, on-site inspections have revealed a significant decrease in the number of birds, attributed to high-rise buildings disrupting their flight paths. This information was detailed in a report by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), which has recommended extensive tree planting to mitigate the environmental damage caused by the construction work.
Environmentalists cite climate change, noise pollution, water pollution, lack of regular lake renovation, and the construction of multi-storey buildings as reasons for the decline in bird populations.
Recently, IMED Director Sonia Binte Tabib visited the ongoing development project at Jahangirnagar University, and her inspection revealed similar concerns.
To keep the project on track, IMED has imposed several conditions. These include ensuring adequate fund allocation to complete project activities by June 2027, as proposed by the concerned ministry, and maintaining proper supervision to ensure the desired speed and quality of the construction work.
The university authorities must take necessary steps to address the environmental damage caused by the project.
The project director must ensure construction work is carried out according to the DPP and verify the quality of materials, such as steel trussing, sanitary ware, electrical wires, and tiles. The adequacy of the contractor's equipment, materials, and workforce at the construction site must also be ensured. Any negligence in this regard will result in action against the contractor as per the rules.
Five 11-storey buildings are being constructed to house the provost, teachers, officers, and employees. The university authorities must ensure these buildings are utilised. Measures should also be taken to ensure that the sports complex built from the project is used to create a sports environment and produce new players, along with post-construction operation and maintenance.
IMED recommends verifying the reality through the concerned ministry and constructing the required number of buildings in the future. This will prevent wastage of time and government money.
The project authorities must complete all work packages within the stipulated time during the proposed extension period. Further extension of this project is not advisable. After completing the building construction, the supply of furniture, ambulances, office equipment, vehicles, gas line connections, transformers, etc., should be ensured as per the specifications. The project should be named with indelible ink for identification purposes.
The project titled 'Further Development of Jahangirnagar University', implemented by the Bangladesh University Grants Commission under the Secondary and Higher Education Department of the Ministry of Education, was approved for implementation from October 2018 to December 2024 at an estimated cost of Tk1,445.36 crore.
The university has cited the global pandemic coronavirus as a major disruption to the regular activities of the development project, slowing down the consulting firm's work appointed to prepare the designs and drawings of various establishments, resulting in delays.
Ongoing construction work includes a sports complex, horizontal extension of the Faculty of Social Sciences building, lecture theatre and examination hall building, a new library building, housing for the provost, house tutor, guest house cum post-graduate researcher house, residential buildings for teaching officers, two residential towers for class III and IV employees, and one residential tower for cleaning staff. This construction work is expected to continue until December 2025.
Work on the horizontal extension of the Faculty of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and Faculty of Mathematics and Physics buildings began in April 2024 and will take about 30 months to complete. The purchase proposal for the construction of a 10-storey administrative building at a newly designated site has not yet been approved by the ministry. Subject to approval, it will take about 36 months to complete this building after awarding the work order.
There was a delay of more than a year in starting the project. The first PSC meeting instructed obtaining clearance from the Department of Environment before commencing work on other installations. Receiving this clearance took a long time, and the pandemic further disrupted the project, slowing the consulting firm's work to prepare the designs and drawings.
