Grabbing city\\\'s open spaces

A private company engaged in construction of Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover has now occupied a sizeable portion of BG Press Colony playground in city's Tejgaonarea to store heavy equipment including bulldozers and cranes for the purpose. In order to take possession of the open space, probably for security reasons, the construction firm has erected a metal fench around the equipment stackedthere.
A photograph of this occupation of the playground published in a daily on September 27 last shows that the local children are left with a small piece of vacant space for use as playground. We know that the construction of Moghbazar-Mouchakflyover will take a long time to completethough the extended deadline
for the project has expired.
Therefore, it is certain that the children of the locality will continue to remain deprived of the facility for a longer period. No alternative space is available for them in the adjoining areas. In fact, availability of playgrounds, parks and open spaces are hardly available in the fast expanding Dhaka city with its population rising at an alarming rate. Vacant lots are being occupied in the fast tempo of urbanistion.
In another development, the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry of primary and mass education discussed on October 22 last ways and means how to recover the lands of 51 government primary schools in Dhaka city from illegal occupation. The parliamentary body in its meeting formed a five-member sub-committee to take steps to reclaim the occupied lands.
The Financial Express in a report published on October 23 said that the five-member sub-committee has been assigned to report on the steps to be taken in respect of recovering lands of the primary schools.  
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. The capital has now turned into a megacity but   parks and playgrounds for children have almost vanished.
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 more than 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 long 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 unauthorisd 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 illegal parking of trucks and vans on the road there continues for a long time under the very nose of the law forcing agency. Taking advantage of the situation, drug addicts and muggers remain active almost round the clock.  This age-old vacant lot has therefore lost its charm and utility.
In this connection we would like to refer to   a High Court (HC) directive to concerned authorities for demarcation of all open spaces. The HC in its order on May 11, 2003, upon a Public Interest Litigation PIL) writ petition 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 High Court 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.
 

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