Neglect pushes historic place of rest into oblivion

Covering only 0.03 acres, the tiny triangular space at the intersection of Bangshal and Kazi Alauddin roads looks shabby and hardly makes it possible for anyone to believe that it was once a park frequented by visitors.

Previously known as "Lady Bagan" -- because women in the British period would take rest on its benches in the afternoon -- the park lost around half its land to the expansion of the roads on its two sides in 1970s, locals alleged.

There were some nine benches and many trees inside the park where people could relax and children would play different games -- even football -- in 1970s, said Siraj Uddin, 50, who has been living in the area since his boyhood.

Now there are only 20 small trees, he said.

After the Liberation War in 1971, a gardener was appointed by the then municipality to look after the flower garden inside the park, said Abdus Salam, a man in his 70s, of Bangshal.

The park even used to have a library inside it with several thousand books for the visitors, he added.

It has a fountain, though out of order now, inside it but the park is shut to the public. However, the good thing is even after encroachment and neglect, the tiny park still survives. The photos were taken this week. Photo: Google, Rashed Shumon

Now people hardly visit the park due to the discarded objects dumped in and around the small space by nearby shopkeepers and a dustbin kept on its south end destroying the environment of the park totally.

Moreover, small traders are also making the park inaccessible by setting up makeshift shops adjoining the fence on all sides, locals said.

Former Dhaka city mayor late Mohammad Hanif had developed the park and set up a fountain inside it, which was inaugurated on November 5, 1998.

But the fountain went out of order just three years later due to a lack of maintenance, said locals.

After the development work, the park was also locked permanently and an iron fence was erected around it.

Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation Sayeed Khokon, also son of Hanif, said he would take up a plan to develop the park and make the fountain functional.