KARACHI, Sept 9: A new building project on the leftover open space at the Dow Medical College has lately started drawing criticism.
A senior teacher, who claims to enjoy the support of a group of old students of the college, maintained that the construction works initiated by authorities of the Dow University of Health Sciences were not well thought-out and needed to be reviewed, as it would mar the front elevation of a DMC building - completed in the late 1940s.
However, varsity authorities did not see any problem in continuing with the project, the foundation stone of which was laid by the Sindh Governor, Dr Ishratul Ibad, in the first week of June.
They said that upon completion, the new building would not only significantly add to the available academic facilities, but would help improve the overall environment as well.
After its first phase of construction, the new building, with a basement and ground-plus-four-storey building covering 7,600 sq-ft of land, would be utilized for car parking, offices of the vice-chancellor, registrar, finance and planning departments, advanced research centre, and other facilities, including a telephone exchange, reception and a multi-purpose hall. The new building is opposite to the main three-storeyed academic block built in the 1950s over an area of about 35,220 sq-ft.
Defending the new project, the vice chancellor, Prof Masood Hameed, said that relevant work and ground breaking were carried out after a detail survey of DMC's premises by a competent firm. Moreover, he said, the project was scrutinized by the departmental development working party of the Sindh government.
To a question, he said that launching of the building was imperative in view of the fact that if it had not been undertaken, funds allocated by the Sindh government would have lapsed.
In addition to the building, the DUHS would also be adding up a new campus, with funding from the Higher Education Commission, at the Ojha Institute of Chest Diseases in a three to four years' time, he added.
He said it was incorrect to say that the facade of the old DMC building was being destroyed. "Those critical about the new construction are perhaps ignoring the existing ground-plus-four storey administration block built in the 1970s and the three-storeyed building housing library and lecture hall in the 1980s."
Giving details of the ongoing building works, the project director, Barkat Ali Rajput, said that the old canteen building, which was in a very bad shape and dangerous condition, had also been razed in connection with the construction.
Standing inside the campus, one can see considerable space between the first academic block of the DMC and the new building being constructed in a U shape, he said, adding that he did not see any wisdom in the demands for stopping construction work at a stage when considerable excavation of land had already been carried out.
He said the construction work of the building in question would be completed within a year's time. The total estimated cost of the project had been Rs39.06 million, out of which Rs20 million had already been released by the Sindh government as the first instalment, said Mr Rajput.
Opposing ongoing construction works on the DMC campus, Dr Sher Shah, an associate professor, said, as a graduate and faculty member of the university, he was extremely concerned about the construction.
"The demolition of the old DMC canteen and construction of a university building is not well thought-out, and it will only destroy the beautiful facade of our most prestigious institute," he wrote in a letter to the VC, suggesting that the plan be reviewed and the service of a reputed architect sought.
In the meantime, Dr Shah has said in a press release that the new block, being constructed after demolishing the old canteen and union offices of DMC, making one understand that the planners had no respect for the old building and did not know why the open spaces were required in educational institutes.
He mentioned that he was in touch with Dow graduates and influential people, who wanted protection of the college's environment and halt to the "ugly construction". He suggested that new buildings of the university should be built on Ojha institute's premises or the old Karachi University building, now at the disposal of the DMC, and which could be renovated and used by it.
