A breathing space still salvageable

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 sixth report of the series is published today. 

What is now a garage for rickshaws and rickshaw-vans in the capital once used to be a 0.2 acre area of greenery called Bashir Uddin Park.

Due to neglect from the city corporation, influential people have been using the park on Waterworks Road as a garage for their financial benefit for over 20 years.

Over 50 years old, the park lost a big chunk of space when a public toilet was constructed on it some 25 years back. However, the park completely lost its look when rickshaws and rickshaw-vans began using it as a garage.

Owners of the vehicles pay Tk 20 per day for each rickshaw or van. Two people have been appointed to collect the money every day on behalf of influential parties.

The city corporation is set to renovate the public toilet, but it has no initiative to recover the park from those who have set up the garage there, said sources in Dhaka South City Corporation.

Islam Uddin Maruf, one of the lease holders of the public toilet, said income from the toilet is very poor so they collect money from rickshaw and van owners. 

"About 10,000 taka is received monthly from rickshaw owners," he said.   

Mohammad Pintu, who lives on Waterworks Road, said the park was very lively once and it had swings and slides for children. He said children from Lalbagh, Rahmatganj and Kharamtola used to come to the park to play.

"But now it is just a rickshaw garage," he said sadly.

Khalid Ahmed, chief estate officer of DSCC, said they would soon launch a drive to remove the garage.       

Mohammad Ilias, a resident of the area in ward 65 (old), said a park is necessary for every ward. Children need parks for outdoor games and youths and adults for exercise.

He said many are forced to go to Dhaka University campus as there is no longer a park in the area.

There were three places for recreation in the area -- Rahmatganj playground, Eidgah and Bashir Uddin Park. But children nowadays are deprived of all three.

Only members of Rahmatganj Club are allowed to play on the field there and the Eidgah is used for Eid congregations.