Won’t allow building of hospital at CRB, says Chattogram Mayor Shahadat

Chattogram Mayor Shahadat Hossain says no hospital or new structure will be approved for construction in the CRB area of the port city.

He also mentioned that he had discussed the matter with Railway Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam.

His remarks came on Sunday morning while responding to the media at the inauguration of a special canal and drainage cleaning programme in the Jamalkhan Lichu Tola area of the city.

The mayor made the announcement amid renewed discussions about reviving the private hospital construction project at the Central Railway Building (CRB), the headquarters of Bangladesh Railway Eastern Zone.

The railway minister is scheduled to visit the proposed hospital project site in the CRB area later in the afternoon.

News of the minister’s visit sparked widespread backlash from the public and different organisations over the past two days.

On Saturday, several organisations issued statements demanding the permanent cancellation of the private hospital project at CRB.

As a human chain demonstration and protest programme were being held in the CRB area by the “CRB Protection Platform” in the morning, reporters asked the mayor about the issue at an event in Jamalkhan.

Previously, when the initiative to build a private hospital in CRB has been taken up, the mayor had opposed it and participated in protests. Journalists asked him for his current opinion on the matter.

Mayor Shahadat said, “I want to give you this assurance… There has been a lot of discussion about CRB. I spoke with the honourable minister yesterday.

“I told him that we will never allow any hospital or structure to be built in CRB by cutting down trees and the people of Chattogram will never accept it.

“He (the rail minister) also agreed. He said he would look into the existing hospital—how its infrastructure can be improved, or if necessary, how it can be rebuilt into a better hospital. This is also a demand of the time, as the current hospital does not see many patients coming.”

The mayor added, “We have already discussed the idea of a dental college. We have also talked about a full-fledged medical hospital and college. So we may expect something within the old buildings, but no new structure will be built there.”

The Central Railway Building (CRB), the headquarters of the Eastern Zone of Bangladesh Railway, is located in a hilly area accessible via the road west of MA Aziz Stadium on the way to Kadamtali.

On the right side of the road, atop a hill, stands the CRB building, while on the left is the existing railway hospital. The intersection in front of the CRB building is known as the “Sat Rastar Mor,” from where seven roads branch out in different directions.

Both sides of the roads leading from the CRB junction toward Tiger Pass, Kadamtali, and the GM Bungalow are lined with century-old rain trees and various other species of trees. Under a large Sirish tree in the field between Tiger Pass and the GM Bungalow roads, the Bengali New Year celebration is held every year.

The proposed hospital was planned on about six acres of land, including the current railway hospital, adjacent vacant land, Railway Hospital Colony Road, and land on both sides of that road.

On Aug 14, 2013, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the project in principle under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). The project finally got the prime minister’s approval on Feb 23, 2020.

On Mar 18, 2020, Bangladesh Railway signed an agreement with United Enterprise & Company Limited. In early 2021, a project signboard was installed at the designated site.

The project wasplanned with support from the Public-Private Partnership Authority. Bangladesh Railway is the implementing agency, and United Chattogram Hospital Limited was tasked with implementing and operating it.

The project duration had been set at 12 years and includes a 100-seat medical college, a 50-seat nursing institute, and a 500-bed hospital to be built in two phases, with an estimated cost of around Tk 4 billion. After 50 years, full ownership will be transferred to Bangladesh Railway.

Following the agreement, United Enterprise paid around Tk 80 million to the railway for project development and premium fees.

In July 2021, when efforts were made to hand over the land to the construction company, protests began and continued for 15 months.

Various social and cultural organisations, including “Nagorik Samaj Chattogram” and the “CRB Protection Platform,” participated in the movement.

At one point, ministers, then ruling party MPs, and leaders from most political parties also opposed the construction of a hospital at CRB.

After a continuous 480-day movement, the then Awami League government announced that the hospital project would not be implemented at the CRB.

Following that assurance, the movement ended in November 2022. After nearly three years and four months, the issue of constructing a hospital at CRB resurfaced once again.