The government intends to complete its plan to shift the Dhaka Central Jail to Keraniganj by June. In its place, it will open the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum and National Four Leaders Memorial Museum, while turning the remaining area of the plot into a park.
We applaud this move as it both serves the public’s need for more open spaces for recreation and demonstrates a welcome regard for heritage and history.
It makes little sense to keep the jail in the city as it takes up valuable space which could be otherwise utilised for the public good.
This is something the government can and should replicate in not only Dhaka, but in the other cities and district towns as well.
Shifting the central jail to Dhaka’s outskirts is also a good step towards decentralisation. The government should take more such steps to shift other services and offices from Dhaka in order to relieve the burden that falls on it.
The government should follow through on constructing the new jail, and use the space in a way that best serves the interests of the people. There is already a lack of open space and parks. Using the remaining part of the plot for a park in which children can engage in recreational activities, such as sports, is a sensible idea.