Still there but shrinking fast

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 eighth report of the series is published today. 

Jatrabari Park, which once measured 1.2 acres, has shrunk by two-thirds to less than 0.4 acres, as different organisations including the Dhaka city corporation have occupied the parkland over the years for other purposes.

The park was established in the 1980s, now adjacent to Shaheed Zia Girls School and College and Mayor Mohammad Hanif Flyover.

The DCC, responsible for maintaining every park in the capital, constructed a road to Demra grabbing a portion of the parkland around 15 years back and later a public toilet there, said locals.

A high school and college and a clinic were built in the 1990s on the parkland, while construction of several other illegal structures including makeshift shops and an office room of community police followed, they said.

Recently a tin-roof office was built by local Awami League which still holds a signboard reading "Main office of Awami League and its front organisations of Dhaka-5 constituency".

Rickshaw-vans and mobile food shops are also using a portion of the existing parkland as a parking lot, making the place very dirty.

Around three years ago, the construction workers of Mayor Mohammad Hanif Flyover used the park as a temporary accommodation facility, and about one year back it was handed over to the DSCC, said a DSCC official.

But Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) instead of renovating the park tried to set up a garbage transfer station there, said Iqbal Hossain, a resident of Uttar Jatrabari.

The station, under Urban Primary Health Care Project, was supposed to be inaugurated by the local lawmaker in July 2014 but locals halted the initiative through demonstrations.

Mir Osman Gani of Uttar Jatrabari said, "A park in a locality is not a luxury but rather a necessity. My doctor advised me to walk for an hour every day but I don't find any suitable place. Parks are becoming extinct and footpaths are under hawkers' occupation. Where shall we go?" 

The locals used to organise congregations during Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha, the two biggest religious festivals of Muslims, on the parkland but for the last four years, there has been no Eidgah in the area.

Residents of Dhalpur, Mir Hajirbagh, and Uttar Jatrabari, who used the park for daily exercise and social activities, said the surviving land could be protected and turned into a great park if the new mayor wanted.

DSCC Mayor-elect Sayeed Khokan said they will take necessary steps after visiting the park.