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According to BELA, various structures have been built in the park over the past seven years under the guise of renovation, significantly restricting access. While regulations allow a maximum of 5 percent infrastructure development in parks, urban planners say about 23 percent of Osmani Udyan has already been occupied.

They also noted that Bangladesh’s laws strictly prohibit the use or transfer of parks and open spaces for purposes other than their intended use. Courts have repeatedly directed authorities to protect such spaces and remove unauthorised structures.

“This is a terrible decision,” said Adil Mohammed Khan, former president of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) and chief executive of the Institute of Planning and Development.

“Destroying parks and playgrounds to accommodate private cars is unacceptable. If this road is built, it will cause irreversible damage to the park’s environment.”

He added that under existing laws, including the Open Space Conservation Act 2000, there is no scope to interfere with parks in this manner.

Former BIP president Mohammad Fazle Reza Sumon said, “When we don’t even have one square metre of park space per person -- where at least nine square metres are required -- such a move will only worsen the situation for city residents.

“Out of Dhaka’s 265 parks, only 42 remain. If the government does not protect them, what will we tell future generations?”

The World Health Organization recommends at least nine square metres of open space per person within a 15-minute walking distance from home.

IMPLEMENTATION DELAYS

The Osmani Udyan modernisation project, originally scheduled for completion in 2018, has faced repeated delays. Work was stalled for around two years after the initial contractor’s contract was cancelled in 2022 over alleged irregularities.

A new contractor was appointed in September 2023, but the project has since missed multiple deadlines. The latest deadline was June 2025, with about 95 percent of the work completed so far.

Officials estimate that at least three more months will be needed to complete the remaining work.

The July monument component is about 70 percent complete and is also expected to be finished by June.

The project includes boundary walls, entry gates, walkways connecting key government facilities, a library, a food court, drainage systems, lake development, an indoor games zone, and parking facilities.

Osmani Udyan, once a key urban green space, is home to rare trees, small lakes, sand islands, sculptures, and an auditorium -- features that environmentalists say should be preserved rather than compromised.