Speakers, including human rights activists, on Saturday urged all concerned not to occupy any playgrounds in the country.
They also expressed concern over decreasing numbers of water bodies, hills and forests across the country while marking one year anniversary of the Tetultala playground protection movement in the Tetultala playground in Kalabagan. Architect Iqbal Habib said that the number of playgrounds, water bodies, hills and forests has decreased as those were occupied.
He urged all concerned to wage a movement against the occupation and make commitment so that no playgrounds could be occupied further.
The one-year anniversary of the movement was supposed to be celebrated from 5:00pm to 9:00pm with a cultural event.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner, however, did not grant permission considering the upcoming Secondary School Certificate and equivalent examinations beginning on April 30, said Kolabaga police station officer-in-charge Saiful Islam.
The OC also said, ‘The organiser did not have the necessary approval from the DMP commissioner to hold the event with a sound system. Later, they were granted permission to hold the event on a limited scale without using any sound system.’
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association chief executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan said, ‘I was surprised to see so many police personnel in front of the playground. Later, I was informed that there was an issue of getting permission for the event.’
‘Creating this kind of tension was unnecessary as we informed the authority in the morning that we wouldn’t organise the cultural event after we were told about the SSC exam,’ Rizwana said, adding that the event was organised on a limited scale so that children participated in the event do not face any odd situations.
Nijera Kori coordinator Khushi Kabir said that the programme would be arranged as planned after the SSC exam ended.
The organisers gathered at the ground with a procession at about 5:30pm. Children participated in the event with placards that read ‘No Commercial Structures on Playgrounds’ and ‘Implement Playgrounds Conservation Act 2000’.
In April 2022, the Dhaka deputy commissioner allocated the playground to the Kalabagan police station to construct its infrastructure there, and protests began when they started the construction.
On April 24, Kalabagan police picked up cultural activist Syeda Ratna and her underage son for leading protests to protect the Tetultala playground and released them after about 13 hours of detention in police custody.
On April 28, home minister Asaduzzaman Khan said that no police station would be constructed on the Tetultala field.
He, however, said that the field would remain under the supervision of the police and that the local people would be able to use the empty place of the playing field.
