'First' high-rise in Ctg left to rot

The future of the magnificent but decaying PK Sen Bhaban in Chattogram is in limbo as a debate rages over its age, preventing the authorities concerned from preserving it.

The owners want to give it to a real estate company which would raze the building and make a block of flats there as it is on the verge of collapse, while locals want it preserved by the Department of Archeology. 

The department claims that the building is only 99 years old and thus refuses to tag it as a heritage building. It says a building must be 100 years old or above to qualify for preservation.

However, locals and owners say that the building was built 129 years ago.

The seven-storey building on Sadarghat's Kazi Nazrul Islam Road is arguably the first high-rise building in the port city.

Prafulya Kumar Sen, a zaminder from Raozan upazila, constructed the building on 16 decimals of land during the British era. Sen had also established several schools in the area during that time.

The building was later sold to three brothers -- Sadananda Ghosh, Shushil Ghosh, and Chintaharan Ghosh. Sadananda and Shushil moved to India during the Liberation War. Chintaharan stayed but was killed by razakars in the very building, their relatives and locals said.

His descendants still live in the building that has 40 large rooms, wide windows, ventilators of different designs, and a large dome at the top.

There was once a prayer hall on the fourth floor which is not there any longer. Another lost feature is a large playground that used to be open to visitors, who could also gaze at the Karnaphuli river from the rooftop.

Now other high-rises block the view.

According to a study by Ali Akbar Razon, an architect who teaches at the port city's Premier University, PK Sen Bhaban is a shining example of how, with available resources, people can build a home in tune with their culture, religion and taste.

A book called “A Study of Space Use Pattern and Historical Residential Building Morphology of Chittagong” was published in the International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research in 2017 where the PK Sen Bhaban was mentioned.

During a visit, this correspondent found the structure in shambles with plasters falling off the faded walls full of cracks.

Locals and the residents claimed that the building was made in 1890, but according to the findings of the archaeology department, it was built in 1920.

Any structure needs to be at least 100 years old to obtain the heritage status, said Lovely Yasmin, deputy director of the department, adding that they had conducted a survey of the building and sent a report to Dhaka in early 2018 saying it could be restored and preserved even though the structure is a year younger than the rules required it to be.

She said they were waiting for their Dhaka office to respond.

Mithun Chowdhury, a resident of Sadarghat who believes the building is 129 years old, stressed on the fact that such a structure should be preserved at any cost.

Shipra Ghosh, a relative of the owner, said, “If it is to be restored by the government, then why aren't they doing so? There is no assurance from the government's side and locals are not letting us take any initiative out of sentiment.”

She told this paper that a couple of years ago, her family tried signing a deal with a developer called AirBell Development Technologies Ltd but stepped back in the face of resistance from locals.

Md Abu Taslim, general manager (sales and marketing) at AirBell Development, said they spoke to the owners about building a block of flats there since the structure was not protected. But they had to backtrack due to resistance from locals.

He said the building could be restored or torn down and that it depended on the owners and the government.

“Retrofitting while keeping the original design intact is necessary. The decision must be taken soon otherwise the building may turn dangerous for its residents.”