CCC move to lease out UN Park commercially faces resistance
People of Chittagong city are deprived of parks and planned recreational places although it is a city to which nature has endowed all its beauties. There are only six parks in the city for around six million people.
Of the parks, people have free access to only three, including the Jatisangha Park, which Chittagong City Corporation is planning to lease out to a private company, a move that has been protested by residents, civil society members and political leaders.
Upon demand from the people, Ministry of Housing and Public Works put up a sign in front of the park on Tuesday that read “Jatishangha Park is the private property of Ministry of Housing and Public Affairs. No construction work inside the park please”.
The park, located in Panchlaish area, was named Jatishangha Park in 2002, is the only recreation place for the residents of Panchlaish, Chawk Bazar, Katalganj and Joy Nagar areas, said residents.
On February 9, CCC flouted a tender to lease out the park for development and management for 25 years, according to sources.
Sources said the company in their proposal intended to build commercial structures including a community centre and rest house.
Knowing CCC's move, locals called on the mayor and officials of the Public Works Department (PWD), who also wrote a letter to the Housing and Public Works minister to take an initiative regarding it, said Md Monirul Islam, executive engineer of PWD, Chittagong division-1.
“I used to go to the park when I was a kid…There used to be a pond where we swam during summer,” said Abdul Aziz, a resident of Panchlaish area, adding, “Then they built a membership based swimming pool and a gymnasium there, which already made the park restricted. We fear if the park is leased out, soon we have to pay money to enter or use the spaces there.”
AKM Saidul Islam, president of Panchlaish Residential Area Welfare Association, said the plots of Panchlaish Residential Area were allocated in 1954 and the park area was mentioned as an open space in the layout.
Contacted, former mayor of CCC M Manjur Alam said CCC is a service oriented institution and it should discuss with the local representatives regarding decisions about the park. “During my tenure, I had built a gymnasium and swimming pool for the interest of people,” he said.
Former mayor of CCC ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury also reportedly protested CCC's move. On Tuesday, at an interview with a local daily, Mohiuddin said CCC is not the owner of the park, it can just maintain it.
When The Daily Star contacted Mohiuddin the next day, he declined to make any comment.
“CCC can maintain the park but it has no authority to lease it out…common people will be deprived of free access,” said PWD executive engineer Md Monirul Islam, adding, “We are now thinking to renovate the park.”
However, CCC on Thursday published an explanation on national daily Amader Shomoy claiming that the park was handed over to them 50 years back and the housing and public works ministry was not the owner of the park. CCC has been working for the betterment of the park and they have the right to do so for public interest.
Contacted, Kazi Md Shafiul Alam, chief executive officer of CCC, said, “We have never thought of leasing out the park for commercial purposes. We have given
conditions in the tender that no activities could be done in the park which would hamper the environment.”
“Our initiative was only to make the park more attractive by upgrading and installing rides, snack stalls, gymnasium, pool…,” he said. “The plan is not final yet, it will be reconsidered as questions were raised from different corners,” he added.
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