Dhaka: Jagannath University’s new residential halls for students will be built at Banglabazar and Keraniganj in Dhaka, said Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on Sunday against the backdrop of students’ protest for last one month for new halls on the former Dhaka central jail land.

Following a meeting with Jagannath University Teachers’ Association at the Secretariat in Dhaka, the education minister came up with the decision.

The minister said the new dormitories would not be built on the former prison land which was vacated by shifting of the prison from the Old Town of Dhaka to Keraniganj.

A new 10-storey dormitory will be established on 25 bigha land purchased earlier for the university. The hall will have the capacity for at least 1000 students. Construction of a new hall with capacity of 1000 students for female students of the university is underway, said the minister.

He also added that the Jagannath University do not have adequate land that it should possess. He said, ‘The university doesn’t have necessary land for setting up academic building, administrative building, student hall, Teachers’ houses, Laboratory and Library buildings. We are trying to manage a piece of land at Purbachal or Jhilmil land projects of Rajdhani Unnayan Katripakkha (Rajuk) to shift the whole university. There is a fund of Tk 276 crore for this purpose.’