The Public Works Department is managing the construction of Chattogram's Central Shahid Minar. This year's Victory Day will also be celebrated in a temporary Shahid Minar, although citizens from various walks of life, including cultural activists, got a promise to build a new Shahid Minar before December 16 this year.
Project officials say that 70 percent of the project has been completed. The Shahid Minar will be completed and opened to the public within the next two months. This time the work will be completed before February 21 if not before Victory Day.
The first Shaheed Minar was built at the foot of the hill on KC Dey Road in Chattogram city in 1962. Renovated in 1974, Shahid Minar used to honour martyrs on various national days including Martyr's Day, Victory Day, Independence Day. Independence Day in 2021 was the last program at that Shaheed Minar before demolition. Then from December 27, the work of demolishing the old structure and building a new one started.
The Ministry of Culture is demolishing the dilapidated government public library and the Chattogram Muslim Institute and building a cultural complex there in the face of the demands of the citizens of different classes and professions, including the culture workers of Chattogram. Under the project, the old structure of Muslim Institute Hall and Public Library is being demolished to construct a 15-storey public library and an eight-storey auditorium building, along with demolishing the old Shaheed Minar and constructing a new one.
It can be seen that the construction work is supposed to be completed by September of this year, but the structure of the pillars of Shahid Minar has not been installed yet. After the construction of the lower foundation, the casting of the altar is in progress. Once it is completed, construction of a 21-foot plaza on the road from Shahid Pillar, Muktamancha and Muslim Hall to Shahid Minar will begin, the project officials said.
Rahul Guha, Executive Engineer of Public Works Department-1 said, "About 70 percent of Shahid Minar's work has been completed in the project. We wanted to start work on Shahid Minar in November last year. But could not due to various complications. We had to go through a lot of trouble to block the important road in front of Shahid Minar. That's why I couldn't finish it on time despite working fast.'
CCC Chief Executive Officer Md. Shahidul Alam said, "Currently the project work is going on, the Victory Day will be celebrated in the temporary Shahid Minar."
Its mentioned that before demolishing the old Shahid Minar, the Public Works Department constructed a temporary Shahid Minar on the grounds of the Municipal Model High School near Newmarket in the city to celebrate national days. In continuation of last year, people of Chattogram have to celebrate Victory Day there this time too. The Tk 232 crore project started in January 2018 and is still ongoing. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2023 after an extension of 1.5 years.
