People have limited access to fields, parks, playgrounds, reservoirs and open spaces in Dhaka city as the authorities concerned don’t give proper importance in open space during development plan.
There are 75 wards in the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). However, there are no playgrounds in most of the wards of the DSCC. “Absence of playgrounds, parks and open spaces in most wards of the DSCC is affecting physical and mental development of city dwellers, especially the children and adolescents living in the capital,” said Ziaur Rahman, a rights activist in Dhaka.
Meanwhile, speakers at a function have called upon the authorities concerned to give importance on parks and fields in development plan. They said that although projects like Metrorail, over bridge and elevated expressway have been taken in the development plan of Dhaka city, no new fields, parks, reservoirs or open spaces are planned.
However, the open spaces, fields and parks in Dhaka city are being occupied in the name of development. As a result, there are not enough opportunities for sports and socialization. In such a situation, initiatives should be taken to solve the problem by stopping the traffic for some time on the little-used or unused roads within the area and organising small-scale children’s sports. In this case, area-based mobile playground will play a vital role as a timely solution.
The speakers said these at the inaugural ceremony of a mobile playground on the second lane at Nawabganj in Old Dhaka on Saturday (December 23, 2023).
Considering the inadequacy of field-parks and open space in Dhaka city, the mobile playground was launched there with the joint initiative of Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust (WBB Trust), HealthBridge Foundation of Canada, and local people of the area with the support of the office of Ward Councilor of Ward No. 23 of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
The mobile playground will be organised every Saturday from 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm in the area through various activities like painting,
handicrafts and chess-ludu-carom-rope jump-badminton.
DSCC councilor from Ward No. 23 Hazi Md Maqbul Hossain inaugurated the first mobile playground in the DSCC area as the chief guest.
Local social worker Md Salim moderated the event, while senior project manager of WBB Trust Ziaur Rahman, general secretary of Ward No. 23 of Civil Rights Protection Forum Md. Selim Azam and social worker Md. Tajul Islam were also present as guests.
In his speech DSCC Councilor Hazi Md Maqbul Hossain said that although there are various infrastructures in the short range of the area, there are no open fields and parks for recreation. However, women, children, elderly and disabled people don’t feel comfortable going to any distant field-park or recreation place. On the other hand, many people don’t have enough time or opportunity to go to the major fields or parks far away. In such a situation, mobile playground has been organized within the area for the physical and mental development of people. If such mobile playground is organized in every ward of Dhaka, the citizens will benefit and a vibrant and livable city will be developed, he added.
In his speech, Ziaur Rahman said that most of the 75 wards of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) don’t have fields or parks. It is not possible for the city corporation to build any new field or park in a short period of time. So, sports and socialization can be organised easily through temporary arrangements like mobile playgrounds in underutilized or unused spaces, he added.
He further said that lack of opportunities for sports and socialization is hindering the physical and mental development of children and adolescents. Area-based mobile playgrounds are an alternative arrangement for children's sports. Organising mobile playgrounds will play a vital role in the mental development of children for the healthy growth of the next generation, he added.
Md. Selim Azam said, “Children in our area are getting addicted to various electronic devices. As a result, their physical and mental development is hindered. So, our children will get a beautiful sports environment trough this arrangement,” he said.
Md Tajul Islam said that children, women, elderly and disabled people will all benefit if opportunities for sports and socialization are created through such arrangements near home. As there is no permanent infrastructure for mobile playgrounds, it is possible to organize one day a week or every day on the street in front of houses within the area.