A promise falls short of expectations

A view of the Lake Park in Gulshan.Photo: STAR

Beautification and better community maintenance of the Lake Park in Gulshan-2 has been bogged down by internal problems of the Gulshan Society which is entrusted with the job.
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) handed over the job of development, beautification and maintenance of the 8.57-acre park to the society on a 5-year lease in August, 2005 as the society expressed its interest to take the responsibility.
But the society could not progress much due to its internal problems over decision-making, said one of the vice-presidents of the society, requesting anonymity.
"The park has seen no tangible progress in beautification and maintenance though two years time has already elapsed out of the 5-year lease term," he said.
Ruhul Matin, convenor of the society's subcommittee on the park, admitted that they have not been able to implement the development plan. "We could not take any firm initiative to resolve various issues concerning the local community."
"Whatever we have done in the last two years has been half-hearted," Matin said. "We have not been able to use a Tk 5-lakh fund due to lack of a definite decision on the park's development planning," he added.
Moushumi Hasan, a resident of Gulshan-2, said, "Beautification and maintenance of the Lake Park should have been in a much better state, as we expected."
According to Matin, the society has so far repaired the dilapidated walkways and set up a number of benches in the park. Besides, it has finished construction of two public toilets initiated by Rajuk and done some gardening.
The trouble ensued in the society with the resignation of its president a couple of months back, according to some office bearers.
The society is now aiming at holding a general election by December to form an executive body and bring back order in the organisation, they said.
The park's development and better maintenance suffered further hindrance because of a dispute between the society and the government's horticulture department.
The department that has been running a nursery on a portion of the park for many years, refused to leave the premises though Rajuk has leased out the entire parkland to Gulshan Society, according to the society's office bearers.
But in any case, dispute with the horticulture department should not have lingered, said Matin. “It could be resolved by now had the society been integrated and organised.”
Though the lease term expired in December 2006, the department insisted on occupying the land, said Matin, adding that the question whether either the organisations or Gulshan Society alone would manage the park still remains unresolved.
Shirin Shila, joint general secretary of Gulshan Society, said that beautification and development at the Lake Park is going on but at a slow pace.
The society has hired a landscaping architect to draw up the design for the park and the work on implementing the design is now in progress.
Gulshan Society became interested in taking over the park for maintenance seeing the better state of park management with community participation at the Tank Park and Baridhara Park in the vicinity, said Shirin.
"We do not take monetary contribution from anybody for maintenance if intended to serve certain motives,” Shirin said. "Mainly the society is funding the work."
However, the society has taken a sponsorship from the City Bank for development of a portion of the park, she said. In exchange, the bank will install advertisement signs there.
Citing example of Tank Park's present admirable state, she said that any ward commissioner could maintain any public parks and playground in an excellent condition only if they intend to do so with community participation.