Visitors and joggers who use Ramna Park have complained that the vagrants inside the park are undermining the ongoing beautification project.

The park-goers fear that the beautification will be of little use with these groups of destitute people loitering inside.

"Most of the park properties like the trees, umbrella-shelters, the lake, the slippers, swings and the children's playground are used by these people who often damage the park's facilities," said Sayeed, a Dhaka University student and regular visitor to the park.

Others like Sayeed also echoed the same sentiment.

The park's own security guards and personnel from Providence Security, the private firm responsible for security in the area, are struggling to protect the park from these floating people.

"Even if we throw them out and bar them from entering through the gates, they easily climb the low fences and get inside," said Zia Uddin, a security guard. He added that the destitute population spend the night at the High Court premises and roam around the park during the day as soon as the Court's business hours start.

Security guards pointed out that the boundary fencing from Kakrail Mosque gate to the Star gate is not high enough to prevent

intruders. "The vagrants usually climb over the fence which is less than three feet from its brick base," said Rafiqul Islam, supervisor of the park's security guards.

Guards from the private security group suggested that the fence should be made as high as six feet atleast like the one from Star gate to Baishaki gate.

Repairs and height increase of fences have helped reduce social crimes like prostitution, drug peddling and mugging at the park. These incidents used to scare visitors away in the past.

"I had stopped going to the park two years ago due to the frequent criminal incidents which even occurred under broad daylight," said a resident of Shahbagh who has now

returned for afternoon jogging.

Other visitors alleged that in the past some Ramna Park security guards used to receive monthly tolls from tea-vendors, flowersellers, sex-workers, drug addicts and street urchins. Although these problems are no longer acute, urchins are still a menace.

"The lake is still being polluted by the vagrants and most visitors do not go near it," said Ismail Hossain, a jogger.

The urchins cause the most destruction to most park properties like the umbrella-shelters, benches, swings and slippers of the children's playground.

The illegal trespassers also regularly pick out bricks from the brick bases, light bulbs, flowers and bits and pieces of other park

items.

Under the beautification project, new slabs have been placed on the benches, the damaged umbrella-shelters have been fixed, and the brick base of the children's playground has been repaired along with most of the other damaged items.

Apart from repairs to three existing sheds, two new sheds, one exclusively for females, are also being constructed. Along with the plantation of new trees and plants, the level of walkways have been increased by two to three inches so that they do not go under water during the monsoon season.