Community centre wipes out another park
How many parks does Dhaka city need? According to rules, it should be 92, one for each ward. But we have only 54, with several of them having ceased to exist and many threatened. At least 10 parks have been replaced with a community centre, kitchen market, mosque, rickshaw garage or truck parking lot, mostly by the city corporation itself. This is the picture when an urban expert, Prof Nazrul Islam, says every 10,000 city residents need an open space of four acres -- park or playground -- for healthy development of children and prevention of diseases related to physical activities. The Daily Star reports how and why we are squeezing our breathing spaces in our metropolis where 15 million people cram in. The fourth report of the series is published today.
Another park fell victim to Dhaka city corporation's community centre “project” and another locality in the capital lost an open breathing space.
The park on Narinda Road, adjacent to Binoti Bibir Masjid, was small but had greenery that would soothe minds and give kids an opportunity for healthy sports activities, said locals.
Advocate Tajuddin Ahmed, chairman of Dhaka municipality during 1961-64, constructed the park. But in the late 1990s, the two-storey community centre was built on its land. Later, the rest of the park was occupied by Narinda Junior Lions Club, Wasa staff quarters, and partially by multi-storey Narinda Boro Masjid.
It was the only park for the residents of Narinda, Sharat Gupta Road, Dakkhin Moshundi, and Dholaikhal.
Nazrul Islam, a resident of Sharat Gupta Road, said, "My daughter, Mariam Islam, a class IV student, has no place to play outdoor games which are mandatory for her physical growth, whereas I played cricket, badminton, and other games in the park during my teenage years.”
Around 300 children used to play in the park every day, and the number would increase on Fridays, he added.
Md Nazimuddin, former president of Narinda Junior Lions Club, which supervises the community centre, said the community centre has been non-operational for the last two and a half years, as the locals who went to the mosque complained about the noise and smoke produced during cooking.
But an NGO runs a school on the ground floor of the community centre, he added.
Amzad, a resident of Narinda, said it was a nice green park and was suitable for all ages.
Chief Executive Officer of Dhaka South City Corporation Ansar Ali Khan said the structures were built way before the corporation came under the supervision of administrators in November 2011.
The residents of Narinda said they were never consulted before destruction of the park. They added that if asked, they would certainly have voted for the park to exist.
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