Construction of food court at Bahadur Shah Park must be halted

The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has reportedly taken it upon itself to construct a food court inside the historical Bahadur Shah Park of Old Dhaka. This park houses two memorials – one of them in honour of those martyred during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. And currently, it is one of the only open spaces wherein the old and young residents of Old Dhaka can get some respite and reconnect with nature. Yet, rather than preserving such a rare space of greenery, which also is part of Dhaka's hundreds of years of heritage, the city corporation itself is attempting to ruin the park's sanctity. 

Already, a metal structure has been erected in the park, taking up space that should be reserved for visitors. What's more surprising is that all this is being done despite adamant protests from citizens. So, given that those who actually frequent the park do not want a food court there, whose good is it being built for? Is it just a way for city authorities to pocket some profit? Do they realise that not every bit of land needs to be profitable in order to be deemed useful? 

It is disappointing that ruining heritage sites has become a fad for our authorities as of late. In Old Dhaka itself, ancient structures such as Bara Katra and Choto Katra are facing demolition. Earlier this year, Tetultala playground in Kalabagan had to be saved by locals from the police, who wanted to construct a police station there. Even Suhrawardy Udyan, a witness to so many crucial moments of Bangladesh's birth and early years, faced the threat of a food court last year. 

Often, it is seen that those heritage sites which are being destroyed belong to the High Court's 2018 list of 2,200 buildings which it directed Rajuk to preserve. In fact, the Bahadur Shah Park itself has a place in that list. Are we to believe that, for our city authorities, so-called development is above the wishes of citizens and even above the law? 

In the case of the food court being constructed in Bahadur Shah Park, the chief estate officer of DSCC told this newspaper that they had only allowed for the setting up of "a movable food van" in the park, and that they have already "instructed the contractor to remove the iron structure." 

We hope the DSCC representative's assurance that "no permanent structure will be allowed" to be built in Bahadur Shah Park is something we can rely on. It is high time for government authorities to ensure that "development" does not get in the way of heritage, and for them to stop behaving as if the opposite is the case. Citizens care about historical structures and greenery – and authorities need to do the same.