Govt's lease decision still unchanged

The government remains unmoved on its decision of handing over 25 acres of land of Suhrawardi Udyan to Dhaka Club for golfing despite continuous protests by environmentalists.
Dhaka Club President Selim Bhuiyan yesterday claimed that about 40 to 45 club members along with others played golf at the park.
The guards of the park said eight to ten people play golf there in the morning and evening every day.
People who regularly come to the park to take a walk were seen avoiding the areas where golf holes have been fenced.
Rezaul Islam, superintendent engineer of Public Works Department (Circle-1) said they are yet to get any directive from the government regarding the cancellation of allotment of parkland to the club.
The government gave the club more than one third of the park for five years without charging it anything, he said.
Meanwhile, Dhaka Club authorities have already prepared ten golf holes and started preparing the land for a golf course.
Rezaul said the club authorities applied for the land in January this year and the government gave nod to their appeal on June 18.
The land which has been handed over to the club stretches from the gate of Institute of Engineers Bangladesh to Tin Netar Majar (graveyard of three leaders).
According to the housing and public works ministry, the park which once covered 100 acres of land shrank over the years as structures including Sarak Bhaban and Police Control Room were erected around its perimeter.
Selim Bhuiyan said the parkland had been used for golfing from the Pakistan period. He said the government did not lease out the land to them. Moreover, they don't have any authority to bring any changes to the park.
“The government just entrusted the club with proper maintenance of the park,” said Selim.
Referring to protests by the environmentalists, he said, “If environmentalists make any suggestion regarding maintenance of the area, we shall definitely think about it.”
“Since one of the historical monuments stands close to the park, things should be in proper order there,” he said.
He also said the park would remain open to all like before. “For the convenience of the common people we would also improve the walkways of the park,” he added.
According to Prof Muntasir Mamoon of History Department at Dhaka University, the British rulers took over a large portion of Nawab's estate in Ramna in 1941.
They leased out 524 bighas of land to Dhaka Club from it. Of those,190 bighas were used for a race course while 19 bighas for a golf course.
After independence, Bangladesh government opened the area to public entrusting the public works ministry with its maintenance.