A children’s park has been illegally occupied in Khulna city. Sadly, three installations have been set up inside Golokmoni Children’s Park upon the clearance from the city corporation authority.
The installations are Awami League Ward no 23 office, Theatre Stage and Urban Primary Healthcare Centre.
Apart from the three authorised installations, some installations like small shops have also been erected in the park.
Though there are some recreation facility for children in the park they are unfortunately out of order.
The authorities are not active enough to fixing the out-of-order facilities, making it harder for children to play there for several years.
An illegal water pump was also set up inside the park which is situated on 63 decimals of land in December 1984.
Efforts are also on to grab the park in the name of Sheikh Russel Memorial Council as a plaque has already been set up there.
Sources say, nowadays drug addicts gather inside the park making it a bad environment for city dwellers and especially children.
A construction agency has however been assigned to do some construction work inside the park.
But eight months have gone by with no sign of the construction being completed in the near future.
Construction firm Bijli Agency rented a little space inside the park for building their makeshift office. Besides, it has kept sand, brick chips, stones and rods and other construction materials across the park.
Bijli Agency Proprietor Sheikh Nafaul Arefin Tito said they had built their office on permission by the city corporation. And construction materials have been kept across the park to keep the drug addicts away from here.
The tenure of the space they have rented for their office would end by July 31, but they applied for increasing the tenure as they were hoping to complete their construction by October, the deadline set by the Khulna City Corporation.
Mayor Mohammad Moniruzzaman however said they been installed inside the park taking in view the interests of the city dwellers. However, the installations that have been illegally built inside the park would be demolished soon.
He added that they had a plan to make the park perfect for children and for that, steps would be taken soon.