Open spaces vanishing

Construction work is going on at the Jambury field. Photo: Zobaer Hossian Shikdar

The authorities responsible for developing the city in a planned way and ensure rights of the commoners are to blame for this practice.

Structures were constructed to house business establishments and entertainment parks set up on huge open spaces on commercial purposes in the name of children's parks in the city.

The concerned circles said illegal hill cutting, deforestation, illegal brick kilns, encroachment and pollution of river are matter of great concern for the environment here. Filling of water bodies and sprawling illegal slums are also causing serious degradation of the geographical as well as social environment.

Town planner Zarina Hossain said open spaces were marked traditionally in the city. But none of the 26 open spaces recommended for preservation in the master plan in 1961, could be implemented properly, she regretted.

Construction of an "entertainment park" by Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) on around nine acre of land of the Jambury Field at Agrabad roused a great resentment among the city dwellers. The Entertainment Park was set up with erection of high-rise boundary walls having rows of shops in the outer sides. It ditched Jambury Field from several lakh people who used the field as a playground or place for taking stroll for many years.

The CCC took lease of 8.86 acres of land to set up a children's park on the west portion of the 16-acre Jambury field that belongs to Public Works Department.

To worsen the situation CCC in its latest move on April 1 started expanding the park and constructing markets on the remaining 2 acres of the Jambury Field to the west of the park.

The Agrabad Nowjowan Club used it as practice ground. The youths and children of surrounding Gosahildanga, Agrabad and Nimtoli areas played here.

The park extension and market construction work sparked protest by local people as well as by environmentalists and town planners of the city.

Forum for Planned Chittagong (FPC) president Prof Jamal Nazrul Islam on April 3 in a letter to city mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury called for saving the open space in the interest of children and youths.

The FPC, a voluntary organisation, held a rally and formed a human chain on May 5 protesting extension of park at Jambury field. Several thousands people including youths and children of the city took part in it.

While addressing the rally Chittagong chamber president Amir Humayun Mahmud Chowdhury demanded of the city corporation authorities to shift the parks at Jamburi Field and in front of Chittagong Circuit House immediately to Potenga and Foy's Lake areas respectively.

The speakers at the rally said haphazard and illegal construction of structures on commercial purpose defying the proposed master plan posed a threat to a planned city.

FPC executive president Engineer ABMA Baset presided.

After the rally a memorandum was submitted to the city mayor urging him for measures to save the open space.

Resentment was also expressed at a dialogue on "open spaces" jointly organised by the Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB), Chittagong and FPC in the city on May 6.

Moreover, the FCP leaders appealed in vain to the city mayor for holding discussion on Jambury Field.

The city corporation continued its construction work ignoring all protests and entreaties.

Public works department at the directive of Public Works Minister Mirza Abbas served a notice asking the Chittagong City Corporation to stop extension of park and construction work, sources said. The minister visited Jambury Field to see for himself whether the construction of structure was for commercial purpose on the leased out land in violation of the agreement, sources added.

But CCC obtained a Supreme Court order on public works department asking it to show cause why the construction work would not be declared legal and it would not continue.

A works department official preferring anonymity told The Daily Star that the land was leased out for children's park but the present construction was in violation of lease agreement.

The CCC got lease of 8.86 acres of land for the park three years back, the official said expressing ignorance about if the present construction was inside the boundary of previously leased out land.