Newly opened Banani parks mostly off-limits to children
- The park in Banani Block-C is open for 5 hours a day, the playground is closed
- Public toilets and other services have not been launched
- Children are not allowed to use the toys in Baishakhi Park in Block-F
- North City says the parks will be fully opened once a maintenance company is appointed
As the school closed at 4:30 pm, Md Adnan, a 10th-grade student of Banani Bidyaniketan School and College, came to the park in Dhaka's Banani Block-C area for some sports.
But he could not get in as the entrance was locked. He then tried to climb over the wall but got injured while jumping inside the park.
Following Adnan, Rifat Hossain, a 6th-grade student, also entered the park by climbing the wall. Since the playground in the park has been locked, they had to settle for less. Instead of playing, they spent time with the toys placed inside the park.
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Md Adnan told The Business Standard, "I got an hour after school before heading home. The park is closed till 5pm, so I climb over the walls. I mainly spend time roaming inside the park as the playground is always locked. It would have been a great place for kids to play football or cricket."
The park is open from 5pm to 7pm and everyone, including children, is allowed during that period. But the playground is off-limits to them. The same goes for the Baishakhi park of Banani Block-F.
After doing some renovation work, the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) on 16 April inaugurated a total of seven parks including the two parks located in Banani's Block-C and Block-F. The modernisation of these parks cost the North City Tk26.4 crore.
Visiting the two parks in Banani, the park in Block-C was found to be closed for most of the time. The playground inside the park is always locked, and so it became filled with foot-long grasses.
The park is open for local walkers from 6am to 9am, and from 5pm to 7pm, said the park's security guard Delwar Hossain.
Besides, the offices and gymnasium in the park are not operational yet. Despite being ready for service, the public toilets are also closed, he added.
Saiful Islam, a 10th-grade student living in the area, told TBS, "When the park is open, we don't have time to play. Although you can enter the park by climbing the wall, the playfield is not yet accessible. We want our playground."
Dhaka North has done development work in Baishakhi Park in Block-F of Banani a few months ago. New gates, railings and walls have been constructed. Several toys including swings for children have been placed inside but the children have not been able to use them.
Md Sohag, security in charge of the park, told TBS, "Many people used to visit this park earlier. Now only 20 to 25 people come here for walks in the morning and evening. The City Corporation with their beautification work somehow managed to ruin the beauty of the park."
"Toys have been set up for children for two months but they are still locked. At the inauguration event, North City Mayor Atiqul Islam said a management committee will be formed within seven days. But that did not happen yet," he added.
Asked, Dhaka North City Corporation Public Relations Officer Mukbul Hossain told TBS, "A lot of money has been spent to develop the parks with expensive toys. The tender issuing process is underway. Once the maintenance company is confirmed through tender, the parks will be fully opened for children's play."
A management committee has now been formed with the local councillor to maintain the park temporarily, he added.
