Private entrepreneurs have found investment in playground development profitable amid expansion of outdoor games, coming out from typical bent on building high-rises but Dhaka's two city corporations seem to have played down their part in facilitating sports activities in their public fields.
Rather, say green activists, players and planners alike, a portion of big fields is allowed to be used for commercial purposes under remodeling plan as Dhaka south and north city corporations are working to provide some health facilities, including uninterrupted walkway and kids' play corner with various equipment, under park- development programme.
They find concept of standard and professional playgrounds for football, cricket, and basketball-like sports absent mostly from the upgrade design.
Public Relations Officers of both Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DSCC) said the projects have been taken to upgrade parks and open space within their territories with the concept of greening the city mainly for elderly generations and minors.
Since taken in 2017, some parks have already been opened for public sport.
But official sources admitted that though the corporations have target to provide parks with all amenities for every ward, it was not possible for lack of adequate land.
However, the FE correspondent finds that in Ramna Park-like comparatively spacious park, which is under Public Works Department (PWD), did not also consider such space for practicing outdoor games by young people who mostly grow up in this sprawling city veritably as caged birds.
In absence sports-specific fields and courts, some in this age group manage playing softly on the natural grass in the midst of other park-users who practice Judo, Yoga and free-hand exercise at the same time.
The DSCC domain has 12 playgrounds and 26 parks under 76 wards, majority of which were once under control of ruffians or place of drug traders and addicts.
The DNCC administration, however, manages 18 parks and four playgrounds under its jurisdiction though its territory and population are lot larger than DSCC's.
According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) statistics of 2022, the capital city, Dhaka, has a 10.2-million-size population and the highest 5.97 million live in DNCC domain which spans197-square-kilometre area. The DSCC has a 4.29-million population in 76 wards under its 107sqkm area.
DNCC officials said they try to take lands from other government agencies wherever those are noticed due to lack of open space in the built-up city. Apart from Tajmahal Road Math, Zakir Hossain road playground, Salimullah road math and Baishakhi playground, DNCC developed playgournds in Banani, Shyamoli and Shahbuddin areas with court facilities.
These are all natural field with green grass which is absent from the private- sector playgrounds for their use of artificial-grass pitch.
DSCC also developed Balu Math, earlier onwed by PWD, with football and cricket courts. An official said fields in Demra and other wards were recovered. "Muktangon located in the city heart of Dhaka is also being remodeled with a basketball court soon."
The DNCC official also said some outdoor games' courts have also been developed within its designated parks but those are for the children as enough field ground could not be managed.
Seven of those were already opened for public recently.
Admitting having lack in the planning of sports activities, a planning-section official said they could not implement Detailed Area Plan (DAP) for not showing such kind of land in the map though recommendation is there to set up a park for a certain city population.
"Due to not showing such land in the DAP, parks wth playground development on private land are not possible," says one official about the shortcoming of the much-talked-about layout of the expanded city.
However, the DSCC authorities have started remodeling the comparatively larger playground named Dhupkhola Math in the congested Old Dhaka keeping one-third space for commercial purposes. The officials said this is designed to bring all shops on one side of the 10-acre playground which were earlier located all along the walls.
Iqbal Habib, an architect and green-town planner, appears critical of certain flaws on both sides. He says "unrealistic" proposal in the DAP is not possible to implement but mindset of both city corporations to look at open- space commercial purpose is also unacceptable.
"Why it should be an attitude of city- corporation people to leer at spaces wherever it is found in the city. They must remove their glass to see open space commercially," says the green activist, Iqbal, who has still to face a case filed few years back following the launch of a movement to free Dhanmondi playground as it was made paid facility by giving lease.
Former national football-team player Sheikh Belal Ahmed also feels that the city needs to develop playgrounds in organised way which will not be possible without stopping the leasing out of free land wherever the authorities concerned find for commercial use.
Also, apprehensions are rife that whatever the parks and playgrounds were remodeled might lose their attractive looks for a lack of maintenance and monitoring.
The DSCC and DNCC administrations have yet to formulate court- maintenance and-management plan. But they have already decided to outsource these and called tenders recently.
smunima@yahoo.com