Parks of Dhaka

It is no secret that exercising in the open or even a walk in the park is both physically and mentally healthy for people of all ages. But due to rapid urbanisation, Dhaka is turning into a concrete jungle and there are not enough open spaces in the city where residents, especially children, can catch a breath of fresh air.

There are only about 40 public parks and 16 playing fields throughout the overcrowded city that is home to an estimated 17 million people. The parks fall under the supervision of both north and south city corporations. There are also some community parks in residential areas that are supervised by local societies. Through proper management, and in some cases, renovation, these parks can certainly benefit the residents of Dhaka, especially youths and children.

Some of the well-known parks in the city are Ramna Park, Bahadur Shah Park, Gulshan Lake Park, Dhanmondi Lake Park, Baridhara Park, Osmani Udyan, Suhrawardy Udyan, Farmgate Park, Tajmahal Road playground, etc. This week, Y&I spoke with some youths who regularly visit different parks for exercise or relaxation. We also talked to some representatives of both city corporations about what they are doing to maintain and modernise the open spaces and playing fields.  

Mehdi Hasan, 24, came to Dhaka in 2011 for higher education and to pursue a career as a singer. “When I first came to Dhaka, I was very curious and I wanted to visit the whole city. Back then, I didn’t have much money and I used to hang out with friends in different parks. In the parks, I met with people from all walks of life. I still visit Osmani Udyan once in a while, the trees and the people there give me inspiration. I come from Rajshahi and it is a city gifted with nature. I think the parks of Dhaka should be more modern and have proper security arrangements. Only then people will go there more and enjoy nature,” Hasan told Y&I.   

Abdur Rahim, a 27-year-old student, has been living in Dhanmondi for the past six years. He said: “I love nature and I visit many parks in Dhaka. Dhanmondi Lake Park is close to where I live and I regularly go there. Compared to some other parks in the city, I find the environment of this park to be better. It has ample free space for all kinds of activities. For example, there is a place where you can play chess, and there is also some fixed exercise equipment, like high bars. Then there is Rabindra Sarobar which is a very popular hangout place for youths. Different cultural shows are held there. Sometimes, some private university students organise different programees in the park. I do not know why, but I feel relaxed when I visit the park. People should visit parks more often.”

Falil Haque Shaki, a standup comic and a member of Bangladesh Comedy Club, was found gossiping with some fellow comedians at Ramna Park. “We regularly hang out at different parks in Dhaka. We discuss our jokes, and sometimes, we perform as well. People enjoy watching us perform. We leave the park before it gets darks because of security concerns. Due to lack of security, many people, especially women, do not visit public parks. I know some people who exercise inside Lalbagh Fort just because they feel safe there,” Shaki shared.  

Ranzit Sarker, 33, a writer, finds inspiration for his writing from watching people and nature. “I love to walk and observe things. Parks are a good source to gather materials for my writing. I see different types of people. For example, many couples go to parks. I see many youths waiting for their friends to arrive. I believe I have visited more than 20 parks in Dhaka. People used to visit Suhrawardy Udyan even after dark. Now, the gates of the park are closed in the evening. Apparently, a few assaults occurred there and they were covered in the media. It is a shame that in such a historical place something like that could take place. The authorities need to clean-up and tighten the security of the parks, so nothing like that can occur again.”

MA Mohit, president of Bangla Mountaineering and Trekking Club (BMTC) told this correspondent: “Every day, our team members exercise at Ramna Park. We used to go to Osmani Udyan, but over the years the environment of that park has become bad. Many illegal activities take place there. I would urge the authorities to properly manage these parks, so people can go there.”

Mahsudur Rahman works in a private company. But he is better known for winning the bronze medal in the 49th AFBF (Asian Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness) championships, held in Japan in 2015. When this correspondent caught up with him jogging at Dhanmodi Lake Park, he said: “Every day, I jog for an hour and my wife sometimes joins me. Many people want to exercise to stay fit, but not everyone is able to go to the gym. The parks and open spaces are better than gyms, if one simply wants to stay in shape. Some of the parks in our city are in dire state. Both the authorities and the people should come forward to work on this problem. People say there are no open spaces in Dhaka. I believe we have plenty of open spaces, it’s just that those places are in need of good supervision.”  

Sumaiya Sultana, 25, a student, said: “I was out of shape and was upset over the fact. Two years ago, I started walking in parks. It not only helped me to lose weight, but I feel more confident now in everything I do. I realised that losing weight was not the main thing, simply walking in the park among nature made me a calmer and happier person.”

Tariq Bin Yousuf, Superintending Engineer (Environment, Climate Change and Disaster

 

Management), Dhaka North City Corporation, told Y&I, “Under our supervision, there are 22 public parks and four playing fields. There are some parks which are under RAJUK (Capital Development Authority). For example, the Farmgate Park was under their control, but now we have taken over the park. There are also some parks that are run by different (residential) societies and not everyone has access to them. Those parks are maintained by the societies of the particular area.”

“We are planning and working on developing some parks for people of all ages. We have sent a development project proposal to ECNEC (Executive Committee of the National Economic Council). We want to make modern parks. We want to rebuild the parks in such a way that everyone can have a pleasant time there. We will provide walking tracks for the elderly, playground for children, space to play for youths, bicycle tracks for those who want to ride bikes, and separate resting place for women. We are already working on some parks, like Uttara Sector-7 Park. We have a target that in the next two years, we will complete the renovation part of these parks and playgrounds. With the development of these parks, the security will automatically increase,” Yousuf said.

“Now we see that many parks have steel grills as boundaries. We want to remove those to make sure that in case of a disaster, people can go to the open spaces without any complication,” the city official added.

M Asaduzzaman, Additional Chief Engineer, Dhaka South City Corporation, told this correspondent: “There are 19 parks and 12 playing fields under Dhaka South City Corporation. We have a target to modernise these parks and playing fields by June 2018. Some progress has been done already, for example, we have worked on Dhanmondi Lake Park, Kalabagan Playing Field, etc. Due to the Eid holidays, the work process normally slows down a little, but after the vacation, our work will start again in full swing. We have made several plans and we have applied for a fund of Tk 160 crore (1.6 billion) and received some portion of it.”

“Now we want the parks and the playing fields to be clean, and have a healthy, secure environment. We want to build proper walkways in the parks. Due to the brick or steel boundaries, sometimes the law enforcement personnel cannot see clearly what is happening inside those places. We want to remove the boundaries from all the parks and playing fields. We believe this step will cause a major change when it comes to security in those places. For example, illegal shops won’t be allowed to operate, and dealers will be afraid to sell drugs in the open,” Asaduzzaman said.

“We are soon going to make a cycle lane inside Dhaka University. If that experiment works, then we will introduce similar lanes in other places of the city,” he added.

Photos: Archives, internet.

Parks of Dhaka

It is no secret that exercising in the open or even a walk in the park is both physically and mentally healthy for people of all ages. But due to rapid urbanisation, Dhaka is turning into a concrete jungle and there are not enough open spaces in the city where residents, especially children, can catch a breath of fresh air. There are only about 40 public parks and 16 playing fields throughout the overcrowded city that is home to an estimated 17 million people. The parks fall under the supervision of both north and south city corporations. There are also some community parks in residential areas that are supervised by local societies. Through proper management, and in some cases, renovation, these parks can certainly benefit the residents of Dhaka, especially youths and children. Some of the well-known parks in the city are Ramna Park, Bahadur Shah Park, Gulshan Lake Park, Dhanmondi Lake Park, Baridhara Park, Osmani Udyan, Suhrawardy Udyan, Farmgate Park, Tajmahal Road playground, etc. This week, YI spoke with some youths who regularly visit different parks for exercise or relaxation. We also talked to some representatives of both city corporations about what they are doing to maintain and modernise the open spaces and playing fields. Mehdi Hasan, 24, came to Dhaka in 2011 for higher education and to pursue a career as a singer. When I first came to Dhaka, I was very curious and I wanted to visit the whole city. Back then, I didnt have much money and I used to hang out with friends in different parks. In the parks, I met with people from all walks of life. I still visit Osmani Udyan once in a while, the trees and the people there give me inspiration. I come from Rajshahi and it is a city gifted with nature. I think the parks of Dhaka should be more modern and have proper security arrangements. Only then people will go there more and enjoy nature, Hasan told YI. Abdur Rahim, a 27-year-old student, has been living in Dhanmondi for the past six years. He said: I love nature and I visit many parks in Dhaka. Dhanmondi Lake Park is close to where I live and I regularly go there. Compared to some other parks in the city, I find the environment of this park to be better. It has ample free space for all kinds of activities. For example, there is a place where you can play chess, and there is also some fixed exercise equipment, like high bars. Then there is Rabindra Sarobar which is a very popular hangout place for youths. Different cultural shows are held there. Sometimes, some private university students organise different programees in the park. I do not know why, but I feel relaxed when I visit the park. People should visit parks more often. Falil Haque Shaki, a standup comic and a member of Bangladesh Comedy Club, was found gossiping with some fellow comedians at Ramna Park. We regularly hang out at different parks in Dhaka. We discuss our jokes, and sometimes, we perform as well. People enjoy watching us perform. We leave the park before it gets darks because of security concerns. Due to lack of security, many people, especially women, do not visit public parks. I know some people who exercise inside Lalbagh Fort just because they feel safe there, Shaki shared. Ranzit Sarker, 33, a writer, finds inspiration for his writing from watching people and nature. I love to walk and observe things. Parks are a good source to gather materials for my writing. I see different types of people. For example, many couples go to parks. I see many youths waiting for their friends to arrive. I believe I have visited more than 20 parks in Dhaka. People used to visit Suhrawardy Udyan even after dark. Now, the gates of the park are closed in the evening. Apparently, a few assaults occurred there and they were covered in the media. It is a shame that in such a historical place something like that could take place. The authorities need to clean-up and tighten the security of the parks, so nothing like that can occur again. MA Mohit, president of Bangla Mountaineering and Trekking Club (BMTC) told this correspondent: Every day, our team members exercise at Ramna Park. We used to go to Osmani Udyan, but over the years the environment of that park has become bad. Many illegal activities take place there. I would urge the authorities to properly manage these parks, so people can go there. Mahsudur Rahman works in a private company. But he is better known for winning the bronze medal in the 49th AFBF (Asian Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness) championships, held in Japan in 2015. When this correspondent caught up with him jogging at Dhanmodi Lake Park, he said: Every day, I jog for an hour and my wife sometimes joins me. Many people want to exercise to stay fit, but not everyone is able to go to the gym. The parks and open spaces are better than gyms, if one simply wants to stay in shape. Some of the parks in our city are in dire state. Both the authorities and the people should come forward to work on this problem. People say there are no open spaces in Dhaka. I believe we have plenty of open spaces, its just that those places are in need of good supervision. Sumaiya Sultana, 25, a student, said: I was out of shape and was upset over the fact. Two years ago, I started walking in parks. It not only helped me to lose weight, but I feel more confident now in everything I do. I realised that losing weight was not the main thing, simply walking in the park among nature made me a calmer and happier person. Tariq Bin Yousuf, Superintending Engineer (Environment, Climate Change and Disaster Management), Dhaka North City Corporation, told YI, Under our supervision, there are 22 public parks and four playing fields. There are some parks which are under RAJUK (Capital Development Authority). For example, the Farmgate Park was under their control, but now we have taken over the park. There are also some parks that are run by different (residential) societies and not everyone has access to them. Those parks are maintained by the societies of the particular area. We are planning and working on developing some parks for people of all ages. We have sent a development project proposal to ECNEC (Executive Committee of the National Economic Council). We want to make modern parks. We want to rebuild the parks in such a way that everyone can have a pleasant time there. We will provide walking tracks for the elderly, playground for children, space to play for youths, bicycle tracks for those who want to ride bikes, and separate resting place for women. We are already working on some parks, like Uttara Sector-7 Park. We have a target that in the next two years, we will complete the renovation part of these parks and playgrounds. With the development of these parks, the security will automatically increase, Yousuf said. Now we see that many parks have steel grills as boundaries. We want to remove those to make sure that in case of a disaster, people can go to the open spaces without any complication, the city official added. M Asaduzzaman, Additional Chief Engineer, Dhaka South City Corporation, told this correspondent: There are 19 parks and 12 playing fields under Dhaka South City Corporation. We have a target to modernise these parks and playing fields by June 2018. Some progress has been done already, for example, we have worked on Dhanmondi Lake Park, Kalabagan Playing Field, etc. Due to the Eid holidays, the work process normally slows down a little, but after the vacation, our work will start again in full swing. We have made several plans and we have applied for a fund of Tk 160 crore (1.6 billion) and received some portion of it. Now we want the parks and the playing fields to be clean, and have a healthy, secure environment. We want to build proper walkways in the parks. Due to the brick or steel boundaries, sometimes the law enforcement personnel cannot see clearly what is happening inside those places. We want to remove the boundaries from all the parks and playing fields. We believe this step will cause a major change when it comes to security in those places. For example, illegal shops wont be allowed to operate, and dealers will be afraid to sell drugs in the open, Asaduzzaman said. We are soon going to make a cycle lane inside Dhaka University. If that experiment works, then we will introduce similar lanes in other places of the city, he added. Photos: Archives, internet.