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Park turned wholesale market

KAUSAR ISLAM AYON
The once children's park in Karwan Bazar under the purview of the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) has now turned to a 'legal' wholesale market.
The park consisted of all facilities for children's play and recreation twelve years back. The space was encroached over a decade back and the DCC was legally battling to revive the park. The last ray of hope dimmed away as the DCC decided to allot the plot to vendors who were already occupying it.
The three-acre plot where the Karwan Bazar Khudra Kanchamal Arat Babsayi Bahumukhi Samabai Samity Limited (Samity) market is situated was set aside for a children's park during the reign President HM Ershad.
After the fall of Ershad's government in 1990 businessmen of the area encroached the park and set up the market. The DCC issued a notice to these businesspeople asking them to vacate the park space. But the encroachers filed a case against DCC and the court issued a stay order on the evic-
tion.
Finally in October this year the DCC reached an agreement with the leaders of the samity permitting the premises to be used on rent.
DCC officials said they permitted this association to use the land till such time the court gives a verdict, but DCC lawyers said this action would
weaken DCC's ground to fight the stay order.
“These businessmen are using the space as a market for more than 10 years and they owe the DCC Tk 1.67 million. The DCC agreed on condition the dues would be cleared,” said an official in the estate department of DCC.
When asked how the DCC
could claim rent from “en-croachers”, the official could not give a satisfactory answer.
However he said that when the government relocates the market according to the original master plan, the present one will be turned to a park again, but did not have an idea when it would take place.
But another DCC high official
said no agreement to allocate this land to encroachers has been made yet. He said that some DCC officials and samity leaders are spreading the rumour that both parties have come to an agreement.
“I have not seen any agreement papers. To be safe the DCC officials involved in this case did not prepare any
papers, leaving option to escape from the situation, in case of pressure from the authorities,” he said.
Prior to the SAARC summit in November the samity leaders put up a permanent structure in the marked spot. There are now 104 shops of 185 square feet each, from which DCC is expected to receive Tk 1,850 a
month from each shop.
To a question regarding the arrears for 10 years, the KBKKABBSSL president said that all 104 businessmen utilising the premises have agreed to pool-in and clear the outstanding.
“The 104 businessmen will pay up Tk 1.47 lakh each for 10 years according to the agree-
ment between us and the DCC,” said Solaiman Nabi, president of the samity.
Regards the encroachment the president said they have not encroached the land but had been running their business at this spot legally for the last twelve years.
“No child ever came here for recreation and there is no necessity of a children's park in this area. I don't understand the meaning of turning a profitable land into a non-profit-making venture,” said Nabi.
Apart from this spot, another open space to the east of the kitchen market has also been encroached for several years. Although two eviction dramas were staged the 160 shops in the plot still stand as before.
A field survey by the Bangladesh Environment Lawyers' Association said designated spaces for children's parks under the DCC's jurisdiction in Sayedabad, Jatrabari, and Mirpur have also been encroached.
The many organisations including Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (BAPA) demanded the protection of Karwan Bazar Shishu Park and other parks in the city.