Five years on, Rangpur women’s training centre still awaits its first class

Built with the promise of empowering rural women through skills training, the Taraganj Upazila Women's Development Training Centre now stands as a deserted building – its classrooms silent, its doors broken and its future uncertain.

Five years after its construction, not a single training session has been held at the centre in Taraganj upazila of Rangpur.

Instead of becoming a place where women could learn income-generating skills, the facility has fallen into disrepair.

Local residents alleged the structure became a gathering place for drug users after dark.

During a recent visit, the building presented a picture of neglect. Large cracks have appeared in several walls, doors have been damaged, and most of the bathroom fittings have been taken.

The water tank and supply pipes are missing, while soil erosion around the structure has left parts of its foundation vulnerable.

The centre is located inside Bamandighi Eco Park of the Collectorate, beside the Rangpur-Dinajpur highway in Ikarchali Union.

According to the upazila administration, the building was constructed during the 2020-21 fiscal year at a cost of Tk 35.19 lakh under the Upazila Management and Development Project, funded by the Government of Bangladesh and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The project was implemented by the Upazila Parishad under the technical supervision of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED).

The objective was to provide local women with vocational and income-generating training to improve their livelihoods.

However, despite the investment, the centre has remained locked since its completion.

Local residents say the lack of use and maintenance has encouraged theft and vandalism.

As supervision declined, government property gradually disappeared, while the surrounding area became increasingly unsafe.

Nahiduzzaman, a resident of Bamandighi Bazar, said people had expected the centre to create opportunities for women but instead watched it remain locked year after year.

"Development worth lakhs of taka was promised, but no training has ever taken place here. The building has become a symbol of wasted public money," he said.

Zemin Sheikh, who leads a local voluntary social organisation, said the project could have made a real difference to women in the area.

"Many village women could have benefited from skills training. Instead, the building has been left unused for years and is now deteriorating. It should be brought into use as soon as possible," she said.

Local media worker Rohidul Mia also criticised the situation.

"There is no justification for wasting public money like this. Not a single class was held after the building was completed, yet additional public funds have already been spent on its construction," he said.

Responding to the allegations, Taraganj Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Monabbor Hossain acknowledged that the centre had remained unused for a long time and had suffered damage.

He said the administration plans to renovate the building and launch training programmes for women, though no timeline has yet been announced.

For now, the abandoned structure remains a stark reminder of an ambitious project that has yet to fulfil the purpose for which it was built.