B'desh: Students demand Environmental Advisor's resignation over delay in construction of permanent university campus

Dhaka, July 27 (IANS) Students at Bangladesh's Rabindra University took to the streets in Dhaka on Sunday, demanding the resignation of the interim government's Environmental Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan due to the delay in the construction of a permanent university campus, years after its foundation.

The public university's students carried out a road blockade on the Dhaka-Pabna highway, demanding approval of the DPP (Development Project Proposal) for a permanent university campus.

Reportedly, the university has been running in a rented building for almost nine years, and yet, the construction of a permanent campus has not started.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan had visited the proposed site for the permanent campus of the university on July 16 and had said, "This demand is logical, but in Bangladesh, one must persist for a long time to achieve anything."

This further enraged the students and led to protests and roadblocks.

The students who have long been demanding a permanent campus. However, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government has not yet allocated any funds for the construction, reports the leading Bangladeshi daily, The Dhaka Tribune.

The students gathered by the highway near the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) bus stand in Siraganj, Dhaka, sitting in protest on Sunday morning at 10 a.m.

They formed a human chain and stated that the delay in approval for the DPP is "disappointing" and questioned why, of all universities, they are being deprived of a campus.

Traffic on the highway came to a standstill due to ongoing protests, causing severe congestion. This situation resulted in long lines of vehicles forming on both sides of the road, leaving drivers and passengers in distress.

On Saturday, students wore black badges and formed a human chain, rejecting the day program offered by Rabindra University in protest against the administration for not meeting their demands.

The university administration, in response, postponed examinations scheduled for the ongoing recruitment process, along with written and oral exams for Bangla and Economics, as well as Management departments.

--IANS

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