Reclaiming city\\\'s open spaces

Khalilur Rahman | Published: December 01, 2013 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

Dhanmondi playground at Road No 08 is now under illegal occupation of a private club. Members of the public are not allowed to use the playground.
According to press reports, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, a private organisation, has taken security measures so that none can enter the playground except members of this organisation. The club has erected structures on the playground and kept it under occupation without government permission.
It is surprising that despite High Court order to keep the playground free for public use the authorities concerned, in this case Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), has failed to remove the illegal structures built by the club management and recover the playground.
About five years ago, press reports say, the minister of public works tried to remove the illegal structures from the playground but to no effect. Nearly three decades ago the Public Works Department (PWD) handed over the playground on 13.5 bighas of land to the Dhaka City Corporation for maintenance and public use.
It may be mentioned that upon a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) writ petition filed jointly by the Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, an environmentalist origination and the Institute of Architects Bangladesh, the High Court (HC) directed the City Corporation in 2004 to free the playground from illegal possession.
About three years ago the HC again asked the DSCC, public works ministry and the club management to remove all illegal structures.
The HC also issued order to keep playground open to public. The City Corporation, instead of complying with the HC order, built a boundary wall with attractive entrance to the playground at the cost of public money for exclusive purpose of a private club.
As we told earlier in this column, over the years, many age-old children's parks and playgrounds, once spread over Dhaka city, have either disappeared or being used for other purposes. As a result, city fathers are now unable to provide urban children with open spaces so vitally needed for their physical and mental growth. It is an irony that when the area of metropolis was just half of its present size and the population not more than a quarter of what it is now, the children used to enjoy the facility of parks and playgrounds. In the fast tempo of urbanisation the capital has turned into a megacity but parks and playgrounds for children have almost vanished.
In this connection we would like to refer to a HC directive to concerned authorities for demarcation of all open spaces in the city. The HC in its order on May 11, 2003, asked the government to complete the process of demarcation of all open spaces under the Open Space Protection Act of 2000.
The HC also asked the government to undertake a plan for development and maintenance of the open spaces as required under the Town Improvement Act of 1953 and the Dhaka City Corporation Ordinance of 1993. The HC also issued a rule upon DCC Mayor, PWD Chief Engineer and Rajuk Chairman to show cause as to why they should not be directed to protect 10 playgrounds and 61 parks.
It is common knowledge that local influential people are behind the occupation of playgrounds, parks and open spaces. In many places the parks and playgrounds are being used for parking trucks, buses, vans and rickshaws.
Let us cite an example of a place which was kept reserved for children's park at Naya Bazar in the old part of Dhaka city about quarter of a century ago. Truck owners started using it for parking their vehicles. In the face of public demand the Dhaka City Corporation recovered the park from illegal occupation 15 years ago and put up various park equipment there. But the DCC took little care for the maintenance of the park at Naya Bazar. As a result those equipment gradually disappeared. Now the place is being used as a dumping depot of garbage.
In another part of the city at Armanitola, a large ground which was created long before partition in 1947 has been surrounded by trucks, pickup vans and other vehicles. This unauthorised parking of transports have not only caused acute traffic jam but marred the beauty of the ground making it difficult for local people to use it.
The city dwellers are still hopeful that the concerned authorities will recover playgrounds and parks from illegal occupation and allow the children in the densely-populated metropolis to grow up with access to outdoor play and recreation.
E-mail : khalilbdh@gmail.com