Authorities in Chandpur are moving to reopen the charitable clinic in Puran Bazar after it remained closed for a year. Chandpur municipal administrator and Local Government Division deputy director Md Ershad Uddin ordered temporary facilities to be built so medical services can resume after visiting the clinic last Sunday afternoon. He said residents of five wards in the Puran Bazar municipality would receive free primary healthcare there.

The clinic was established in 1920 during British rule to provide healthcare for poor people. It had long served day labourers, small traders and people displaced by river erosion who settled in Puran Bazar. Known locally as the two-taka clinic, it offered doctor consultations and necessary medicines through a two-taka ticket, making it a key source of support for people unable to afford treatment costs.

The 105-year-old clinic was closed last year, with doctor shortages and other problems cited, increasing hardship for poor residents. Uddin said advertisements for doctor recruitment have been placed in local newspapers and expressed hope that services would restart soon. He also directed relevant officials to arrange a quick auction of the century-old unsafe building, while saying a multi-storey building is planned for the site in the future.