New architecture to repaint Suhrawardy Udyan

The government has drawn up a plan to give an architectural makeover to Suhrawardy Udyan and freeze the memories of Bangabandhu's March 7 speech and the Pakistani army's surrender in 1971 on the historic ground.

The new design will connect Suhrawardy with Shishu Park and add facilities like walkways, food shops, and parking space to make the area more accessible and visitor friendly.

Housing and Public Works Minister Mosharraf Hossain announced the plan at a recent programme.

He said a monument would be built on the place where Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had given the speech, and the scene of the Pakistani forces signing the instrument of surrender would be crafted into statues.

This is part of the government's massive plan to build the Sonarbangla Sangskritik Boloy, an area that will enclose historically and culturally significant places around Suhrawardy Udyan and Ramna Park in Dhaka city.

The place where Bangabandhu had delivered the speech falls in Shishu Park, said Md Asifur Rahman Bhuiyan, assistant chief architect, Department of Architecture.

He said a walkway would be paved through Shishu Park to Swadhinata Stambha (glass tower) at Suhrawardy Udyan. Anyone will be able to see the tower and Shikha Anirban (eternal flames) from the park's gate at Shahbagh, he added.

The walkway will divide the park and have lakes on two sides, but an underpass will be built across the walkway so that visitors could easily move between the two parts of the park.

Asifur Rahman said a visitor would be able to enjoy the historic places while strolling down the walkway.

Suhrawardy Udyan has already had several structures like the 150 feet glass tower, Shikha Anirban, an underground museum, amphitheatre, mural, and reflecting pool.

The official said a parking lot would be built under Shishu Park with the capacity of 500 cars, and visitors would be able to move seamlessly between places like Bangla Academy and TSC through walkways, underpasses, or overpasses.

Asifur said the Shahbagh police box would be relocated, and 50 flower shops would be built decoratively in the place of the existing flower market.

There will also be food shops and toilets, he added.

Kazi Golam Nasir, chief architect of the Department of Architecture, said they were working to estimate the project cost and would submit a plan to the ministry concerned. The Public Works Department will implement the project.

Nasir said the idea was any person would be able to go to any prominent place inside the Boloy without facing any barriers.

The prominent places that will come under the Boloy include the national museum, public library, Faculty of Fine Arts, Nazrul's grave, central mosque and central library of Dhaka University, Raju sculpture, Swoparjito Swadhinata, Milon memorial, TSC, Bangla Academy, Shishu Academy, Old Arts Faculty Building of DU, historic Amtola gate, Central Shaheed Minar, Tin Netar Majar, Dhaka Gate, Jatiya Press Club, Shilpakala Academy, Institution of Engineers, International Mother Language Institute, Bailey Road Natok Saroni, Dhaka Officers' Club, Bangladesh Betar Bhaban, and Dhaka Club.