THIS is unacceptable that the authorities have continued to lend a deaf ear to demands for the cancellation of lease of parks and playgrounds, preserving them and making them accessible to citizens in Dhaka. Green activists and citizens鈥� platforms have made the demand that carries the collective voice of all living in the city. The Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan and the Green Voice held a march in the capital, demanding the reopening of parks, including Anwara Park and Osmani Udyan, to the public. Another platform, the Bangladesh Tree Protection Movement, has, neanwhile, held a 24-hour sit-in since December 14 to protect Panthakunja Park from the Dhaka elevated expressway. The trees of the park have been felled for the construction of the expressway pillars. Twenty-four organisations on December 19, 2024 formed a human chain in front of the Dhaka North City Corporation at Gulshan 2 and demanded that the authorities cancel the lease of parks and playgrounds. Environmental activists have for long criticised the practice of grabbing parts of a number of parks for metro rail and elevated motorways, leasing parks and playgrounds to private entities and hindering people鈥檚 access to them.
The organisations have also demanded an amendment to the Playground, Open Space, Park and Natural Water Reservoir Conservation Act 2000, the formulation of guidelines on managing parks and playgrounds and a comprehensive list of all parks and playgrounds. Anwara Park at Farmgate has already disappeared as the government grabbed it for the construction of metro rail while the authorities have also encroached on Panthakunja for the elevated expressway. Besides, a number of parks and playgrounds have been leased out to commercial entities and clubs that have built or have been building permanent structures for commercial purposes. Commercial clubs are reported to be erecting structures in Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Park and Dhanmondi playground, defying laws and court directives. The north city authorities are also reported to have leased out five other playgrounds to companies. The south city authorities do not also fare well in preserving and maintaining parks and playgrounds under their jurisdiction as they have leased out a number of parks and playgrounds to commercial entities. Public access to open spaces, parks and playgrounds in the city has, meanwhile, remained restricted for various reasons. The court directed the authorities a number of times to preserve and maintain the parks and playgrounds and ensure people鈥檚 access to them.
The failure to preserve the parks and playgrounds is deplorable as Dhaka, a city of 18 million, does not have enough parks and playgrounds. There are no playgrounds and parks in at least 41 wards of the city. The government and the city authorities should, therefore, prioritise the preservation of parks and playgrounds and review the development model that relegates people鈥檚 well-being. They should also abandon the practice of privatising public parks and playgrounds and review all lease agreements that they have with business entities and neighbourhood committees.
