Infringements on the playing field

While children remain cramped in their apartment homes, the spacious playing ground is being illegally used by meat vendors, fish vendors, drug dealers and more

by SHAFIQ RAHMAN

The Dhanmandi playing ground at the juncture of Road 8 and Road 9 of the area is gradually being encroached upon. It has been under the control of Dhanmandi Club and was used by the local people for football and cricket practice and other sports recreations. Now, however, the certain club members have taken over corners of the field and have set up fish and meat stalls. Prior to that they had been selling mangoes from stalls set up in different places of the field. The authorities have chosen to turn a blind eye to this illegal encroachment. They are not bothered whatsoever.
When contacted about the matter, Chief Estate Officer of Dhaka City Corporation Khalil Ahmed says, "I am not certain who have taken over portions of the field, what they are doing or any other details. As far as I know, I haven't given anyone permission for any such encroachment."
As to whether they have any plans to evict the illegal encroachers, he says, "It's not possible for us to keep tabs on who has taken over the field, when they are doing this and so on. However, letters have been sent to the higher authorities about eviction.  Perhaps we can reach a decision about this soon."
These stalls are not the only encroachments. There are little tea stalls dotting the field all around its periphery. Beggars, drug addicts and drug dealers, garbage collectors have also permanently established themselves around the field boundaries. The entire environment of the grounds has been ruined. The passersby and the residents of the area have to suffer.
It is ironical that in 1949 when the Works Department took up the Dhanmandi project, they have foreseen an idyllic residential area. They acquired 473 acres of land in 1952 and leased out 1083 plots for 99 years. The Master Plan included schools, playing grounds and other amenities for an ideal residential area.
Thus Dhanmandi Residential Area has four playing grounds to meet the needs of the children of the local residents. However, all four fields were taken over by professional sporting clubs -- Abahani Club, Kalabagan Sporting Club, Women's Sporting Club and Dhanmandi Club.
Dhanmandi Club was established in 1962. They wanted to lease the Dhanmandi field but were not given the lease. However, they have been regularly using the grounds and it has gradually gone into their control. As mostly it is used for their practice, the local girls and boys hardly get to use the field.
And then every year the field was being used for all sorts of fairs -- youth fairs, Baishakhi Mela and so on. It was used as a cattle market too during Qurbani Eid. Protests from the local people manage to put an end to this, but now these stalls have cropped up in various places of the field.
Abu Naser Khan of Save the Environment Movement, says, "There is no use in having a field if the children can't play there. In Dhanmandi, the children are being deprived from their rightful use of the fields."
He protests, "The children don't have playgrounds in their schools, no yards to play in at home. And now they can't even play in these fields. This is extremely unfortunate. They need such grounds for sport, physical exercise, recreation. Such grounds not only allow them to play; children grow organising capacity, leadership values and more here. All this goes into the future leadership of the nation."