Crumbling under the weight of time

In 1892, Rai Bahadur Raja Girish Chandra Roy established Sylhet's first college in Bandarbazar area and named it after his maternal grandfather Murari Chand Roy, a zamindar of Sylhet.

Around 1921, Murari Chand College (also known as MC College), then a government-affiliated institution, was shifted to a 150-acre land in Tilagarh area.

Several structures were built there by 1924, including two academic buildings with corrugated iron roofing that reflect famous Assam-type architecture.

Now these ageing structures echo pleas for urgent conservation efforts, as their rich legacy is poised to fade without intervention

Anything over 100 years old can be protected as an "antiquity,"  according to the Antiquities Act-1968.

MC College's Science Block and Power House, built between 1921 and 1925 as per the then principal's report, qualify as antiquities.

In his book "Murari Chand College-er Itikotha," Prof Abdul Aziz said those charming buildings were finished by 1925, and students walked through their doors first in 1926.

Standing on elevated foundations, these unique structures are single-storey buildings with vibrant red tin roofs.

Their solid framework combines wooden beams with a distinctive blend of half-brick and half-concrete walls, embodying the iconic style of Assam-type architecture. As documented in Shamsul Majid Choudhury Sako's "Assam Type Unique Heritage Houses in Sylhet," these buildings are examples of the style's enduring charm.

After the 1897 Assam earthquake, this type of architectural design gained prominence due to sustainability and earthquake resistance.

Recently, Supreme Court Advocate Golam Subhan Chowdhury Dipon, also a trustee of Environment and Heritage Conservation Trust, initiated a movement to protect these heritage buildings.

People from all walks joined him.

"It is necessary to protect heritage and culture. But in Bangladesh, responsible authorities are always negligent regarding heritage sites. Such a mindset must be changed, and these century-old structures must be protected," Dipon said.

AKM Syfur Rahman, regional director (Chattogram and Sylhet) of Department of Archaeology, said, "We will soon send an inspection team. As per its recommendation, we will decide on declaring these buildings as antiquities and take necessary steps towards conservation."

Prof Abul Anam Md Riaz, principal of MC College, said, "All other structures from that period were successfully retrofitted and are being used regularly. But these structures deteriorated badly and are in no shape to be renovated."

"If the Department of Archaeology or another organisation can conserve these structures authentically, that's ideal. Otherwise, we might demolish them and build two new buildings with matching designs," he added.