NARAYANGANJ, June 14: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has directed the authorities concerned to take necessary steps for the reconstruction of the historic Shaheed Zia Hall auditorium in the Narayanganj city.
The directive was issued through an official notification sent from the PMO on June 10, instructing the secretary of the Local Government Division (LGD) to take appropriate measures and submit progress reports on the actions taken.
The move came following appeals from Narayanganj-1 MP and President of the Narayanganj Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mustafizur Rahman Bhuiyan Dipu, Narayanganj-3 MP Azharul Islam Mannan, and JASAS central leader Anisul Islam Sani, who had urged the government to rebuild the auditorium.
Reacting to the development, MP Dipu Bhuiyan said Shaheed Zia Hall is the only structure in Narayanganj District that bears the memory of BNP founder and former President Ziaur Rahman.
"Recognising the urgent need to restore the hall, I directly appealed to the prime minister. Following that request, the Prime Minister’s Office has instructed the relevant authorities to take necessary measures. We hope work will begin soon," he said.
Located in Chashara, the commercial and administrative heart of the Narayanganj city, Shaheed Zia Hall has remained abandoned for years and is now reportedly on the verge of collapse.
Despite its deteriorating condition, the hall is widely regarded as an important symbol of Bangladesh’s post-independence political history, nationalist ideology and cultural awakening.
Sources said MP Dipu Bhuiyan was the first to formally request Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to reconstruct the hall. He is also a member of BNP’s central executive committee and first joint convener of the party’s Narayanganj District unit.
The issue gained momentum after the appeal reached the Prime Minister. On April 25, while attending a jute products fair on the Shaheed Zia Hall premises, State Minister for Textiles and Jute Md Shariful Alam publicly referred to the proposal and called on local lawmakers to support the initiative through official recommendation letters.
In a letter sent to the Prime Minister on April 22, Dipu Bhuiyan described Shaheed Zia Hall as more than just a building, calling it a significant monument to the political and cultural history of post-independence Bangladesh.
According to the letter, the foundation stone of the town hall was laid by then President Ziaur Rahman on March 10, 1978, on 60.62 decimals of land. It was later formally inaugurated as "Shaheed Zia Hall" on July 19, 1981, by then acting president Abdus Sattar.
The letter also noted that the hall's name survived a prolonged legal dispute over land ownership after a court ruling upheld its status as Shaheed Zia Hall.
Dipu Bhuiyan warned that the long-unused structure has become severely dilapidated and unsafe, raising fears of collapse at any time.
