Awami League-backed mayoral candidates Annisul Huq and Sayeed Khokon yesterday said they would turn Dhaka into a green and sport-friendly city if they won the upcoming city corporation elections.
They said most of the playgrounds, children’s parks and other open spaces in Dhaka had been grabbed, adding that all those places would be recovered once they became mayors.
Annisul, former president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) who is a mayoral candidate of Dhaka North City Corporation, and Dhaka South City Corporation mayoral candidate Khokon, who is the son of Dhaka’s first mayor Mohammad Hanif, were speaking at a view-exchange programme organised by Jatiya Krira Parishad at its auditorium in the capital.
Khokon said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is always interested in sports and she also had directed the authorities concerned to recover the illegally-occupied playgrounds in the capital.
“Because playgrounds have been occupied, children are forced to play on streets. My first priority will be to recover these places from occupiers,” he said.
Annisul said he had always voiced the demands of the business community while serving as the FBCCI president. “I will try my best to ensure that city dwellers are getting the services they deserve if I am elected the mayor.”
Apart from recovering playgrounds from the clutches of occupiers, Annisul said he would renovate the parks and would implement tree plantation projects as part of beautification of the city.
