The Awami League (AL) government, ousted by a student-led mass uprising supported by various societal groups, had calculated the damages during the quota reform movement at Tk 2,070 crore as of August 3, attributing them to students and the public.
However, the current interim government has scrapped that estimate and ordered a fresh assessment, according to sources in the Finance Division.
Information reveals that the then-Awami League government formed an inquiry commission on August 1, led by Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman, to assess the damages from the movement. The commission’s temporary office was set up on the ground floor of the Supreme Court Mediation Centre’s auditorium building.
The commission was tasked with investigating incidents of death, violence, sabotage, arson, looting, and terrorist activities carried out under the guise of the quota reform movement, as well as determining the extent of damage to the properties of government, semi-government, autonomous and private properties.
Relevant ministries and affiliated departments, agencies and institutions were requested to submit details of the damage and estimated value in a prescribed format to the commission’s temporary office.
However, the letter was revoked on August 12, stating that the “erroneous” directive titled “Regarding the Provision of Information for Assessing Damage Caused by Violence, Arson, Looting and Terrorist Activities During the Quota-Reform Protests from July 16 to July 21, 2024,” was hereby cancelled.
Finance Division working on fresh report
Initially, the AL government had intended to include damages to incidents occurring until August 21 in the assessment, but later, a subsequent directive extended this timeframe to cover the entire duration of the movement.
According to Finance Division sources, a damage assessment report, calculated by the commission and covering incidents up to August 3, had been submitted to the Finance Division during the Awami League government's tenure, estimating the losses exceeded Tk 2,070 crore.
The source further mentioned that despite receiving the damage report, the Finance Division could not take any action on it. Following the downfall of the Awami League government on August 5, the report became practically irrelevant. After the interim government took charge on August 8, the finance ministry did not prioritise this matter.
Nevertheless, the Finance Division is now working on the fresh damage assessment, as decided by the current interim government.
Interim govt to prioritise damage allocations
According to relevant sources, the quota reform movement, initially against discrimination, evolved into a broader anti-Awami League-led government movement. The current interim government is now assessing the damages incurred during the entire period of the Awami League’s crackdown on the movement. Once all departments submit their report, the Finance Division will begin its work, prioritising allocations based on the severity of the damages.
The sources revealed that the first allocation will be made to repair police stations, as maintaining law and order is of utmost importance. Following this, funds will be allocated to other institutions based on priority.
The budget size or the Annual Development Programme (ADP) will not be expanded for this purpose. Instead, some non-essential projects will be cancelled and unexpected allocations from the Finance Division will be utilised, several senior officials in the division confirmed.
Metro rail stations, toll plazas among hardest hit
The ousted AL government had previously reported that the country's communication infrastructure suffered the most damage during the nationwide protests, clashes, and vandalism. Notably, two stations of Dhaka's metro rail were heavily vandalised, while the toll plazas of Mayor Mohammad Hanif Flyover in Jatrabari and the Dhaka Elevated Expressway in Mohakhali and Banani were burned down.
Additionally, the Setu Bhaban in Banani, Bangladesh Television (BTV) Bhaban in Rampura, Department of Disaster Management building, the headquarters of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), its regional office in Mirpur, and an office of the Roads and Highways Department also experienced vandalism and arson. Various road dividers, railings, streetlights and other infrastructure across various parts of Dhaka were damaged during the unrest as well.
The AL government claimed that the most significant damage to Dhaka's communication infrastructure occurred at the Mirpur-10 and Kazipara stations of the metro rail. MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), had said at that time that it could take around a year to reopen the two stations.
Setu Bhaban, BRTA offices heavily vandalised
Meanwhile, Tarafder Mahmudur Rahman, deputy director of public relations for the MRT Line-6 project, said that every item on the concourse level of the two stations had been damaged. The ticket vending machines, ticket offices, entry and exit gates, computers and other equipment and installations were completely destroyed, leaving nothing left. Even several closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at the stations were damaged beyond repair.
Besides the metro rail, the Setu Bhaban in Banani also sustained extensive damage during the ongoing unrest. Bridges Division Secreatary Md Monjur Hossain, on July 20, had said, “The assessment of the external damage began yesterday (July 19). We have already accounted for the vehicles burned outside the building, which include 55 vehicles, such as SUVs, microbuses, minibuses, ambulances, and motorcycles. Inside the building, various infrastructures were damaged due to extensive vandalism.”
“The adjacent BRTA building and an office of the Roads and Highways Department were also subjected to vandalism, causing damage to their infrastructures. Furthermore, the Dhaka Metro Circle-1 office of BRTA in Mirpur was vandalised and set on fire,” he added.
Narsingdi jail break
During the quota reform movement on July 19, thousands of people stormed the Narsingdi District Jail, setting it on fire and breaking the locks of the cells, leading to the escape of 826 prisoners. The attackers looted weapons, ammunition and food supplies while causing extensive damage.
Prison authorities reported that the attackers stole 85 weapons and over 8,000 rounds of ammunition from the jail, including 7,000 rifle rounds and 1,050 shotgun shells.
