Local Government Division (LGD) and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, a private sporting club, are allegedly constructing concrete structures that will occupy a third of the two-acre Dhanmondi playground.
The public playground has become virtually off-limits to children and youngsters due to lack of proper monitoring by the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), in charge of maintaining the spot.
Back in September 2010, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed authorities concerned to take immediate steps to recover all the children parks and playgrounds in the capital from illegal occupants.
Acting on the directive, the then Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) conducted a survey in different areas of the capital and identified playgrounds or open spaces that were occupied illegally or were being used for other purposes. Sources say the situation prevails in those places.
The city corporation, however, failed to free up the Dhanmondi playground as Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club authorities had taken control of it despite repeated directives from the High Court to keep it as a public place.
Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, named after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s younger brother and registered as a private company, has deployed security personnel to prevent people other than members of the club from entering the playground.
On March 28, activists of over 50 environment and social organisations demanded the structures built on the playground be removed immediately. They also demanded punishment of those who had built structures on other playgrounds in the city in violation of the High Court directives.
In July last year, the club authorities knocked down a portion of the newly-built boundary wall to take construction materials inside in order to erect structures.
During a recent visit, this correspondent found that construction of concrete structures was underway. A notice hung near the main entrance asked people not to enter the place because of city corporation’s construction work.
Md Marafat Ali, admin officer of Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The DSCC and LGD are in charge of the construction work.”
“LGD authorities are basically supervising the construction. Two tennis courts, two badminton courts and a basketball court are being built and those will occupy one-third of the playground,” he said.
Marafat said the LGD was bearing the total cost of construction and the club was just collaborating.
DSCC chief executive officer Ansar Ali Khan said the LGD was handling the construction. “The city corporation is not doing it.”
Ashok Madhab Roy, additional secretary of LGD, and other city corporation officials concerned could not be reached for comment despite several attempts.
The DSCC has 10 public playgrounds under its authority while Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has only one.
This correspondent has found other playgrounds in the city in a sorry state. There was no grass there and the fields contained only sand. Locals said the places get muddy during the rainy season, thus becoming off-limits to children.
Makeshift shops run by small
traders were also seen in the playgrounds. They indiscriminately dump waste in those places, thus making them untidy.
