A group of corrupt officials of the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and the Arkay Group have allegedly been plundering the capital’s Panthakunja Park as authorities concerned continue to turn a blind eye to the issue.
The corrupt officials of Arkay Multimedia and DSCC revenue department have been jointly using the public park for their personal interests for the last 11 years and have already chopped down more than a hundred trees and dismantled lamp posts inside the park premises.
During the tenure of the BNP-led government in 2004, Arkay Multimedia Ltd, a concern of Arkay Group, was tasked by the revenue department of the then Dhaka City Corporation to carry out the beautification and maintenance work of the public park and its adjoining areas.
The organisation carried out the beatification work by dividing the park into two. One part remained known as Panthakunja and the other became Panthakunja Plaza near the Saarc fountain, which is now used by Unilever for their advertisements.
Officials of the Arkay Group said Arkay Multimedia has been shut down and the park was being maintained by the mother organisation.
Seeking anonymity, a resident of Kathalbagan claimed: “Arkey Group’s manager for the Panthakunja Park Md Babar and few city corporation officials had jointly chopped more than a hundred trees and all the lamp posts inside the park and sold it. They had been chopping off large trees inside the public park since 2004.”
“Several times, we have tried to protest against such illegal activities, but the Arkay Group and the city corporation authority termed us as criminal,” he added.
He further claimed that Babar also had been renting out several illegal power line from the park to nearby street shops and added: “The Arkay Group collects around one crore taka from Unilever and few other private companies. Some other companies have also installed illegal billboards at the northern part of the park.”
During a recent visit to the park, this correspondent found that many trees had been also cut off and many lamp posts had been taken down. The southern part of the park seems to have become a waste dump and all the benches have broken down.
It was also found that Arkay Group had built two illegal structures inside the park premises.
Contacted, Arkay Group official Md Babar admitted that trees were cut off from inside the park.
He, however, claimed that the trees taken down were hazardous or had been broken down by various storms in different periods.
Arkay Group Managing Director Rudess Karim told the Dhaka Tribune that he has not aware that trees were being cut at the public park.
“If such illegal activities take place, we will take immediate action against it,” he added.
Meanwhile, the park also becomes a safe haven for drug addicts, prostitutes, muggers and petty criminals.
A number of visitors told this correspondent that they would not visit the park after sunset as they believe the park is not safe at night.
Shihab Uddin, a resident of Kathalbagan, had been regularly visiting the park for jogging after his office.
“I knew a little about the present atmosphere of the park, but never imagined that this sort of social activities talk place here [the park],” he said.
Karim, however, admitted the problem and claimed that some criminals have also assaulted the company’s guards posted at the park when they protested against such unsocial activities.
“We need city corporation’s help to control it,” he added.
DSCC Administrator Md Alamgir and Chief Executive Officer Md Ansar Ali Khan could not be reached over phone to comment over the issue.
DSCC Chief Revenue Officer Md Mostafa Kamal told the Dhaka Tribune that they were not aware of the illegal structures set up in the park by Arkay Group.
“If such illegal activities occurred in the public park, action should be taken against the private company. I will also inform officials concerned to evict the illegal establishments from the park, if there is any,” he said.
Mostafa, however, admitted that the park becomes a den for illegal activities after dark
“We will take immediate steps to solve the problems of the public park,” he added.
Back in September 2010, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed all authorities concerned to take immediate steps to recover all parks and playgrounds in the capital from illegal occupants.