Setu Bhaban, BRTA set up makeshift offices; services yet to resume
While offices have reopened and minimal work is going on, officials of both the Setu Bhaban and the BRTA building say they are not sure when services to citizens will resume
At first glance, it's hard to make out the scene in front of Setu Bhaban in Mohakhali.
The building's glass walls are filled with holes – signs of the attacks during the recent unrest centred on the quota reform movement. Dozens of burned cars litter the premises.
Amid this, employees work under a pandal that covers the main entrance of the bridge authority headquarters.
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"Our office reopened today. For now, we are working in this makeshift workspace," Quazi Muhammad Ferdous, chief engineer at the Bangladesh Bridges Authority, told The Business Standard on Wednesday.
"The fire spread to almost all the floors of the building, and around 55 cars parked in front of it were burned as well. We have incurred losses worth Tk400 crore."
The situation in front of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) building is uncannily similar. The BRTA employees have also set up a pandal, with electric fans, chairs, and conjoined tables underneath. Remnants of burned and vandalised goods are still there.
Speaking to TBS on Wednesday, BRTA employees said the building came under attack at around 6pm last Thursday. At least 13 cars parked on the premises were torched, and the fires spread throughout the building. Many electronic goods, including printers, computers, and TV monitors, were also stolen.
"It took around 1am for the fire services to arrive. By then, most of the things were burned," Md Morshed, a security guard who was present during the attacks, told TBS.
While offices have reopened and minimal work is ongoing, officials from both Setu Bhaban and the BRTA building say they are unsure when services to the public will resume.
"The electric line running through the building has been completely burned. The damages are staggering. There is no way for us to work inside the building now," BRTA Chairman Gautam Chandra Pal told TBS.
"A committee has been formed to assess the extent of the damage. They will submit a report within seven working days," he added.
Meanwhile, Bridges Division Senior Secretary Manjur Hossen said they will not resume working inside the Setu Bhaban until authorities give them the necessary clearance.
"Until the police, fire service, and other institutions concerned do not give us clearance to enter the building, we will work from the makeshift set-up. Many cars of the Bridges Division have been burned. Employees are coming to work at their own expense," he said.
Gautam also said a committee has been formed to assess the damages caused during the attacks last week.
