Rally for changing site of silo in Barisal
Staff Reporter, Barisal
Cultural activists formed a human chain in the city on Wednesday demanding change of the construction site of a silo from a pond here. Close to Baddhobhumi at Trish Godown, the pond is the citys largest one carrying historical value of the Liberation War. The Trish Godown complex was used as cantonment of Pakistani occupation forces and mass killing ground during the war in 1971 . The silo construction work is being implemented under a project financed by World Bank.
The human chain followed by a rally was organised under the banner of Barisal Sangskritik Sangathan Samonnoy Parishad, an alliance of 27 cultural organisations based in the city, in front of Ashwini Kumar Hall. The rally was addressed, among others, by Advocate Tipu Sultan MP, freedom fighters Enayet Hossain Chowdhury, Mokhlesur Rahman, Nurul Alam Farid and MG Kabir Vulu, socio-cultural activists Akkas Hossain, Nazrul Islam Chunnu and Shuvangkar Chakraborty.
President of Barisal Sangskritik Sangathan Samonnoy Parishad Shanti Das presided over the rally. Speakers at the rally observed that they are not against the construction of the modern Food Storage Facilities Project of the ood department on Trish Godown area of the city. The silo should be constructed in other place rather than demolishing or reconstructing the old or abandoned food godowns, without affecting status and environment of adjacent mass killing ground and proposed complex on history of the Liberation War with a museum, the speakers opined. It should be conserved as part of the history of independence, they noted. Mentionable, construction of the about 3,000 square metre silo with capacity of storing 48,000 food grains, staff quarters and other structures at the cost of Tk194.5 core is going on in Trish Godown area. As initial part of the project, already construction of side wall and filling the pond on 5.5048 acres of land at a cost of more 3.5 core taka is going on speedily.
