The government decision to establish a school and a college on Sabujbagh playground in the city drew adverse public reaction.
People in the neighbourhood said that the government took the decision ignoring a High Court verdict delivered on March 15 directing the government to remove, in 15 days, all illegal structures except for those built by the authorities concerned for the purpose of sports.
The court also directed the government to demarcate boundaries of all the playgrounds, parks and gardens in the capital city.
The court issued the directive after hearing a public interest litigation writ petition filed in 2003 by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association and the Institute of Architecture to stop illegal encroachment in parks, udyans and playgrounds, and for proper maintenance of all open spaces in the city.
South Bashabo residents said that local lawmaker Saber Hossain Chowdhury accompanied by government officials set up two billboards on the playground about a month back identifying it as the site for building a new government secondary school and a government college.
They opposed the idea of establishment of the two institutions on the playground.
The education minister, Nurul Islam Nahid, told New Age on Tuesday that he received no complaints from the people in the area.
He also said that it would not be possible to halt the process of establishment of the new school and college.
He, however, said that he would try to save the playground as much as possible.
Probin Kalyan Parishad, a local rights organisation for the senior citizens, had filled up the, following a plan of the Public works Department, to develop the 12 acre plot at South Bashgabo in 2002 to establish the playground, a heath service centre, a children’s park, a walkway and welfare centre for the senior citizens.
Accordingly, the parishad chairman Shah Mohammad Keramat Ali said Sabujbagh Playground was established.
He said that the authorities took the decision to establish the two institutions on the playground without taking their opinion.
The separate billboards state: Sites selected by the Government of Peoples Republic of Bangladesh for establishing a secondary school and a college under a government project to establish 11 colleges and secondary schools in Dhaka Metropolitan city.
They also state: To be implemented by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, Ministry of Education.
The parishad members said they were not against opening new schools or colleges but why they should be established on a playground.
‘Where our children would play?’ asked Keramat Ali.
Abdul Mohammad Sakib and Ashik Hasan, students of Class VIII in Ahmadbagh Adarsha Uchha Bidayalay said they would have nowhere to play if the two institutions were established on the playground.
‘There is no other playground in the locality. And all the space is filled up with buildings. Where we would play?’ asked Sakib.
Dhaka City Corporation ward commissioner of the area Mohammad Golam Hossain said Saber Hossain Chowdhury put up the billboards without even caring to discuss the matter with him.
He said that he supports the local people.
Saber Hossain Chowdhury’s comments could not be taken as he is not in the country.
Nurul Islam Nahid said it took about two years to find out this place to establish the two institutions.
He said that acute shortage of land makes it difficult to build good educational institutions the city needs.
Courtesy of New Age
