The Dhaka University authorities on Monday relocated the residential students of three halls to ‘safer places’ in the wake of Sunday’s earthquake. The Syndicate, the university’s highest decision-making body, Sunday night decided to shift 150 students from 55 rooms of Muhsin Hall to its auditorium, university gymnasium and provost’s bungalow of Shahidullah Hall, 400 students of East House at Jagannath Hall to four other buildings of the hall, and 50 girl students from Roquiah Hall’s honours building to Nawab Faizunnesa Chowdhurani Chhatri Nibas, a hostel for the female students doing research for MPhil and PhD degrees.

The moderate earthquake that was felt early Sunday prompted the authorities to take such an initiative as a temporary measure to avoid any possible accident. Thirty-nine students and employees of Jagannath Hall died after the roof caved in on October 15, 1985.

On Sunday, 49 residents of different halls were injured when they hurriedly attempted to escape during the earthquake. Fourteen residents of different halls jumped off different floors fearing possible collapse.

The legs of Abul Kalam Azad, a resident of Ziaur Rahman Hall, were broken as he jumped off from second floor.

The middle-block of Haji Muhsin Hall, honours building of Roquiah Hall and East House of Jagannath Hall were declared vulnerable much earlier.

As temporary support to the frail building at Muhsin Hall, the engineering department fixed a number of wooden columns in May to avoid the collapse of the building.

The authorities were consulting the experts of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology who suggested warping the columns of Muhsin Hall with thicker iron sheets.

The university authorities were planning to rebuild honours building but it still remained in papers.
The boarders of Faizunnesa Chhatri Nibas alleged that the hostel warden and other house tutors shifted the girls of Roquiah Hall to their rooms in their absence. They also alleged that the authorities threw out their belongings.

Hasina Banu, a resident student of the hostel doing PhD on geology, told New Age that the hostel authorities cancelled allocation of some boarders though they had cleared all the fees. ‘We are planning to go for an agitation protesting against the cancellation of the seats without any notice.’

The provost of Roquiah Hall Laila Noor said the university authorities had cancelled the allocation of seats of those students who had completed their courses.