Hatirjheel, Begunbari Twin Lakes
Failure to develop recreation facilities disappoints city
Since hurriedly opening the Hatirjheel and Begunbari twin lakes to the visitors in January the authorities virtually forgot their commitment to develop the planned recreation facilities around them.
The visitors do not find the promised viewing decks, games facilities for children, water-taxi terminals, footbridges across the lakes and an amphitheatre said Jamal Ahmed, who resides close to the Moghbazar level crossing.
Others in the neighbourhood said that they still waiting to see the amphitheatre come up on the bank of Begunbari Lake behind Tejgaon Industrial Area.
The lakeside amphitheatre was planned for open performances, they said.
There is no sign that the recreational facilities would be in place any time soon, said disappointed visitors.
Visitors said that the authorities opened the twin lakes in a hurry before developing the recreational facilities.
The authorities, however, appointed a monitoring team for the maintenance and monitoring the Tk 1,971crore site.
The project director admitted that no development took place since the inauguration due to complicated land acquisition process.
The authorities overlook the problems faced by visitors due to frequent road accidents caused by reckless driving, muggings and littering on the lake roads, said Jamal.
It’s amazing that a big budget project like this lacks maintenance and security measures, he said.
‘We heard that there would be security and water taxis for the visitors’, said Suraiya Akhter, a resident of Eskaton.
There seems to be none to remove the makeshift toilets or stop illegal car parking, carom playing, clothe drying and vending foods from around the lakes, she said.
Two makeshift mosques have been set up, one each on the southern and the northern sides of the Begunbari Lake, New Age found.
The development activities have slowed down, admitted the Integrated Hatirjheel-Begunbari Lake Development Project director and Rajuk superintending engineer ASM Raihanul Ferdous.
After the inauguration the authorities did virtually nothing, said Raihan.
The 3rd revised development project proposal, he sent to the Public Works Ministry in January awaits approval from the Planning Commission, he said.
The 3rd RDPP proposed the construction of boundary walls, Management Unit Building, and several other work, he said.
It also gave an estimated cost for setting up an interim pumping station at Rampura for sewage treatment awaiting setting up of Daserkandi sewage treatment plant, he said.
The interim sewage pumping station was planed to keep the twin lakes unaffected, said the project director.
Two committees are there to manage and monitor the project, said Raihan.
The main components of the project have been completed, he aid.
Mainly landscaping remains halted as land acquisition is taking too long, he said.
He said that he expects landscaping, construction of the Management Bhaban, u-loops near Rampura, laying the gardens and installation of furniture to be completed by June.
An information centre, celebration point, viewing decks, benches at different locations, games equipment for children, cycle stands, car parking, bus stop shed, underpass, water-taxi terminal, footbridges above the road, over the lakes and terminal would be part of the landscaping, he said.
Besides, there would be a water deck at Moghbazar, an open platform for entertainment on the lake, he said.
In the middle of the lake, between Badda and West Rampura, a forested island to be called ‘eco-centre’ would be developed with a variety of flora and fauna, he said.
Visitors would be able to travel by boat around the island but none would be permitted to set foot on the eco-centre, said the project director.
The twin lakes development project, he said, was taken mainly to improve the city’s drainage and sewerage systems, and connect its eastern and western parts.
And the roads around the two lakes were planned to improve communication and reduce traffic jams, he said.
The walkways were designed for the pedestrians, he said.
Rajuk, 16 Engineering Construction Battalion of Bangladesh Army, Dhaka Wasa, and Local Government Engineering Department are jointly implementing the project with BUET providing the consultancy service.
On January 2, the twin lakes were opened to visitors by prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
-With New Age input
