Bahadur Shah Park sinking into atrophy
Bahadur Shah Park, once the Victoria Park, the only strolling spot in the Sadarghat area of Old Dhaka, is gradually losing its real face and identity, due to inadequate maintenance and monitoring.
The park bears witness to historical events of the British colonial rule in the Indian-subcontinent. It was built in 1858 at the initiative of Nawab Khwaja Abdul Ghani.
Victoria Park until 1947, it was later named after Bahadur Shah II, the last Mughal emperor.
It is learnt that most of its historic infrastructures, namely an Obelisk which commemorates the ascending of the throne of Queen Victoria as Empress of India and the British Empire, and a monument built in honour of the martyrs of ‘Sepoy Mutiny’ (the first attempt of revolt against the British rule, in 1857), during which a good number of mutineers, including a woman, were hanged to death at the spot and kept hanging there for a couple of days, are in a ramshackle condition due to negligence and lack of proper monitoring by the concerned authority. While visiting the park, this correspondent found the apocryphal waterfall in the middle of the park has remained dry since long, and the adjacent area is waterlogged due to lack of proper drainage system. Although, there are two separate toilets for men and women, they are lying unused, not having water supply facilities.
In addition, illicit parking of private and public vehicles, dumping of industrial and household garbage, illegal occupation etc have made it almost impossible for the daily visitors and morning walkers to rest and exercise for a while.
Moreover, there are many educational institutions around the park. These are Jagannath University, Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Kabi Nazrul College, Mohanagar Mohila College and Government Muslim High School, among many others.
In the daytime, students of these institutions gather and gossip in the park area, while many health conscious people come to the park for jogging and walking in the morning, and in the afternoon.
The park provides good opportunity to its visitors to look back at the turbulent history of the nation, and attracts some two thousand visitors each day while frequently setting the scene for cultural and religious festivals.
Around 1500 to 2000 people normally visited the park every day to stroll, exercise and breathe fresh air, but nowadays the number of the visitors is dropping, thanks to the unhealthy and insecure environment, said a park authority insider.
The park now somehow maintains its existence with no initiative to preserve the heritage. The condition of the area is now terrible.
Anti-social activities and illegal possession by the footpath shops are also alleged. The condition of the area is now terrible. People using the park's footpath very often fall victim to many unwanted incidents.
Some of the visitors alleged that toll collectors and vagabonds are dominating the area and indulging in snatching which is on the rise. Besides, junkies gather and take drugs sitting beside the north monument of the park at night.
They urged the concerned authority of the park to bring back its previous kudos, so that its history is protected.
When contacted, an official of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) said, “The condition of the park is better than earlier. However, we are going to take more initiatives to protect the heritage of the park, as soon as possible.”
The park bears witness to historical events of the British colonial rule in the Indian-subcontinent. It was built in 1858 at the initiative of Nawab Khwaja Abdul Ghani.
Victoria Park until 1947, it was later named after Bahadur Shah II, the last Mughal emperor.
It is learnt that most of its historic infrastructures, namely an Obelisk which commemorates the ascending of the throne of Queen Victoria as Empress of India and the British Empire, and a monument built in honour of the martyrs of ‘Sepoy Mutiny’ (the first attempt of revolt against the British rule, in 1857), during which a good number of mutineers, including a woman, were hanged to death at the spot and kept hanging there for a couple of days, are in a ramshackle condition due to negligence and lack of proper monitoring by the concerned authority. While visiting the park, this correspondent found the apocryphal waterfall in the middle of the park has remained dry since long, and the adjacent area is waterlogged due to lack of proper drainage system. Although, there are two separate toilets for men and women, they are lying unused, not having water supply facilities.
In addition, illicit parking of private and public vehicles, dumping of industrial and household garbage, illegal occupation etc have made it almost impossible for the daily visitors and morning walkers to rest and exercise for a while.
Moreover, there are many educational institutions around the park. These are Jagannath University, Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Kabi Nazrul College, Mohanagar Mohila College and Government Muslim High School, among many others.
In the daytime, students of these institutions gather and gossip in the park area, while many health conscious people come to the park for jogging and walking in the morning, and in the afternoon.
The park provides good opportunity to its visitors to look back at the turbulent history of the nation, and attracts some two thousand visitors each day while frequently setting the scene for cultural and religious festivals.
Around 1500 to 2000 people normally visited the park every day to stroll, exercise and breathe fresh air, but nowadays the number of the visitors is dropping, thanks to the unhealthy and insecure environment, said a park authority insider.
The park now somehow maintains its existence with no initiative to preserve the heritage. The condition of the area is now terrible.
Anti-social activities and illegal possession by the footpath shops are also alleged. The condition of the area is now terrible. People using the park's footpath very often fall victim to many unwanted incidents.
Some of the visitors alleged that toll collectors and vagabonds are dominating the area and indulging in snatching which is on the rise. Besides, junkies gather and take drugs sitting beside the north monument of the park at night.
They urged the concerned authority of the park to bring back its previous kudos, so that its history is protected.
When contacted, an official of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) said, “The condition of the park is better than earlier. However, we are going to take more initiatives to protect the heritage of the park, as soon as possible.”
(The article was first published on Bangladesh Post)
Comments
Post a Comment