A children's park monopolised, turned into money-spinner

Members of Dhanmondi Cricket Academy doing net practice on the park.Photo: STAR

Dhanmondi Cricket Academy has kept a children's park in Dhanmondi occupied for years without authorisation from the authorities concerned, turning it into a potential source of making money through exclusive use.
The academy took over the park in the name of maintenance several years back and restricted access of the general public to the ground. For using the field, now one needs to become either a member of the academy or pay an amount to the academy.
The strip of open space at the intersection of road-3, 4 and 5 had long been a children's park meant for free use of locals. But now it is a restricted and exclusive zone.
A resident of Dhanmondi and president of the Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB), Mubasshar Hussain said, “The academy charges any aspiring sports team or club Tk 6 to 10 thousand for a day to organise a sports event at the ground.”
Architect Iqbal Habib, another resident of Dhanmondi and member secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa) said he once took his son to the park for playing but the club officials asked him to get his son admitted to the club. They charged Tk 6.5 thousand as admission fee.
“Maintenance must not mean such control over access,” he said suggesting that local community must be involved in maintenance of a children's park or a playground to ensure free access of the general public.
He said Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) should give up its responsibility to maintain the parks and playgrounds unless it can discharge the responsibility.
This correspondent in the guise of an organiser of a local cricket team talked to the academy's joint secretary and ground-in-charge Md Iqbal Shyamol on February 14, and enquired about the rate and procedure of using the field.
Shyamol said that the playground is booked throughout the month of February. “Rent of the playground is Tk 7,000 per day and the rate is fixed. One can take the field for a day and use it from 9:00am to 2:00pm paying the rent.”
“We may consider some discount on the total amount in case one takes the field for a longer period like ten days or more,” he said.
Asked what one has to do to use the field for a weeklong tournament or a practice session, he said that it is not possible during March and April.
Another staff of the academy said that recently a mobile telephone company paid the club more than Tk 1 lakh to organise a 9-day cricket tournament there.
A former captain of the national cricket team said requesting anonymity that public use of a playground becomes restricted if exclusively occupied by a certain club or organisation.
Prof Serajul Islam Choudhury, a noted educationist and head of a high-level advisory committee on park development and beautification of the DCC, said that the community level awareness is very crucial in saving the public spaces.
General public has to mount pressure on the respective local ward commissioner and make the DCC accountable for its duty to keep the public spaces in proper shape, he said.
Taiyab Afzal, joint secretary of Dhanmondi Cricket Academy, said they received a letter from DCC around two years back saying that the playground should be used for sports purposes only. But, he said, the academy does not have any authorisation from the DCC.
About exacting money from the users, he said, “We need money to maintain the field.”
Sabur Khan, general secretary of the academy, said many influential quarters made attempts on several occasions to take control of the field, which had long been in a deplorable state.
“We, the locals, resisted the moves and took over the duty of its maintenance.”
Replying to a question on whether they are authorised to do it, Khan said, “We have not got any such authorisation.”
DCC Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka said that he would see how Dhanmondi Cricket Academy has taken over the children's park.
“We have neither authorised nor appointed any such clubs as agents to take over and maintain public playgrounds for exclusive purposes,” he said.