Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed has urged the prime minister to take immediate steps to remove establishments from Dhanmondi playground and make it open to all.
Addressing the PM, he said: “We are requesting you to take immediate steps to remove all establishments from the playground and make it open to all.”
The noted litterateur made the request while addressing a press briefing “Dhanmondi Playground: Past, Present and ?” at the National Press Club on Saturday morning.
He said: “We have staged a number of peaceful programmes in order to make the ground establishment free. Even we took the matter to the court for a solution. But, all our efforts went in vain.
We know that our prime minister is an environmentalist. She has ordered to free many lands from the clutch of grabbers. We are hopeful that she will take a quick step in this regard,” he added.
Among others, Institute of Architects Bangladesh former president Architect Mubasshar Hussain, Bangladesh Poribesh Andalan (Bapa) Joint Secretary Iqbal Habib and former national cricketer Gazi Ashraf Lipu spoke in the programme.
Earlier, authorities of Dhaka South City Corporation placed two signboards on the main gate of the capital’s Dhanmondi playground, saying the ground had been made open to all following continuous protests by activists of 50 environmental and social organisations and Dhanmondi residents.
Architect Mubasshar Hussain, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The city corporation only installed signboards on gates of the public playground and that was all.
The city corporation did not take any steps to remove establishments from the playground.”
He further added that movements would continue until illegal establishments were removed from the public playground.
In 2004, following a petition filed by Bangladesh Poribesh Andalan (Bapa) and IAB, the High Court directed the then city corporation (now Dhaka South City Corporation) to free Dhanmondi playground from the illegal occupation of Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club.