The development work at Dhanmondi Lake and adjacent areas in the capital is now in its final stages and is expected to be finished by the end of August.
Earlier, the development completion deadline was extended by six months from December 2012 to June 2013. But, after failing to meet the two deadlines, the concerned authorities expressed hopes that it would be finished by August.
The authorities also said the additional time was needed to empty some plots of land in adjoining areas of the lake which had been illegally occupied.
Project Officer Captain Md Anisur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune: "We have reached the finishing stages of the development project and hopefully the rest of the work will be completed by this August."
"Only a few parts of the children's park and an over-bridge remain to be constructed," he added.
Anisur Rahman also said: "We sent a letter to the LGRD authority to extend the finishing date of the project, and the LGRD authority extended it in December. However, we will able to finish it by this August."
In 2011, the government took on the development project which covers approximately 98 acres of the Dhanmondi Lake area, from road 32 to road 6, in order to give a facelift to the greenery and make the area more attractive to a wider range of city dwellers.
The initiative was undertaken by the Ministry of LGRD and Cooperatives, as well as the Dhaka City Corporation (now Dhaka South City Corporation).
Later, the LGRD and Cooperatives Ministry handed the initiative over to the 16-Engineering Construction Battalion (ECB) under the Special Works  Organisation (SWO) of the Bangladesh Army for implementation, with Vitti Sthapati Brindo working as consultants.
The Project Officer, Captain Anisur Rahman, informed Dhaka Tribune that the army have planted almost 50 thousand trees in adjoining areas of the lake and also set up an orchid garden and a children's park beside the Kalabagan playground.
Other developments made under the project include the construction of 2km of walkway and 1.5km of drainage, foot over-bridges at Kalabagan and Dhanomndi Road 8, installation of 10 pure drinking water points and the construction of 4 public toilets.
The project also repaired 4 existing bridges and 2km of walkway and installed a modern lighting system. Officials said maintenance and security of the lake would be ensured properly after completion of the project.
A visit to the project site revealed that most of the work has been completed, with only the over bridge and the children's park, named Russel Sishutosh Angan, still under construction. 90 percent of the funding for the Tk245.3m project came from the LGRD and Cooperatives Ministry, with the rest coming from the city corporation.
Friday, April 25, 2025
