The Hatirjheel project has undoubtedly added a great deal of flair to the capital city. Every day, hundreds of people gather at the spot to simply hang out, witness the scenic beauty of the spot or heave a sigh of relief from hectic personal and professional hassles.
Hundreds of people from diverse backgrounds - especially students from schools, colleges and universities - regularly gather at the spot. It is also noticeable that a section of the people coming to the spot after dark are engaged in anti-social activities like snatching, dumping of wastage, smoking, drug abuse, stalking and more.
There is no scarcity of restaurants in Hatirjheel. But, given the number of young adults and people of all ages that gather in the area, a public library in Hatirjheel may allow and encourage them to indulge in reading. If they go to the library, they will not be attracted to adverse activities.
A public library with a newspaper reading stand may provide an opportunity to the students and others to learn more about local and global events and developments. Apart from a public library, some indoor sporting facilities like table tennis, carom, ludu, chess, etc can also be helpful.
It may be mentioned that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during a National Conference of Library Professionals in 2012 called upon the wealthy people to spend a part of their income for establishing public libraries in their areas. The bizarre truth is that, there are only 71 public libraries for over 160 million people in Bangladesh - i.e., one public library for every 2.2 million people. Although Gulshan, Banani, and Baridhara are the most developed parts, there is no public library in these areas.
I would like to request the authorities concerned to take urgent initiative to set up a public library in Hatirjheel in line with the Prime Minister's direction. The Directorate of Public Libraries under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs can take immediate initiatives in this regard. I believe that the establishment of a public library will exponentially add a social value to the mega Hatirjheel project will be more meaningful.
Emdadul Haque
Assistant Professor
Southeast University, Dhaka
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