Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has taken a mega project to modernise 31 parks and playgrounds in its area for healthy development and refreshment of city dwellers, particularly children and youths.

A total of 70 architects prepared draft designs to make 19 parks and 12 playgrounds beautiful, green and open, removing its boundary walls. The designs were presented during a discussion at the capital's Nagar Bhaban yesterday.

“We will modernise the parks maintaining international standard by 2017,” said DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon at the discussion.

He said they will ensure free Wi-fi service and CCTV cameras in the parks and playgrounds so that people especially the youth can enjoy the internet.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has assured him of providing fund for the project, the mayor mentioned.

During an investigation last year, The Daily Star found that at least 10 parks out of the 54 surviving ones in the entire Dhaka city were replaced with community centre, kitchen market, mosque, rickshaw garage or truck parking lot, mostly by the city corporation itself, while many others were threatened.

DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon addressing a discussion at the capital's Nagar Bhaban yesterday, organised to disclose the mega project plans. Photos: Star

According to experts, 93 parks are necessary in Dhaka city, one each for the 93 wards. The Dhaka City Corporation had 54 parks on its official list before being split into two parts in 2011.

Md Rafiq Azam, principal architect of SHATOTTO, an architecture firm based in Dhaka with a focus on “architecture for green living”, and team leader of the consultants of the project, said the parks and playgrounds need to be renovated through a sustainable design.

Azam said the tendency to protect parks with walls is wrong as it helps drug peddlers and addicts to easily occupy those. Moreover, most of the playgrounds do not have grass because the technology to maintain grass on fields is not being used properly. Besides grass, various trees will be planted in the parks so that people can have the taste of all six seasons watching them, he added.

About Panthakunja in Farmgate area, Azam said they have a plan to renovate it including a rooftop nursery, an amphitheatre, a restaurant and a children play zone. The plan also includes public toilets, and a compactor on the ground floor, he added.

About the project, architect Iqbal Habib said many things like Wasa pump and garbage depot will be removed from the parks and playgrounds to keep its beauty intact. He also stressed the need for keeping the parks and playgrounds open to avoid encroachment.

For maintenance, they are preparing to make a co-management system comprising local people and DSCC staff, said Habib, adding that their plan also include making ponds beside the parks which would make the area more beautiful and thereby take a step closer to make Jolsabujer Dhaka (city covered with water and green).

Among others, DSCC's Chief Executive Officer architect Khan Mohammad Billal Hossain, architect Mubasshar Hussain and councillors of different wards of DSCC were present.