Staff Reporter :
After continuous struggle by the environmentalists and the locals to save the Tentultala playground from the construction of a police station in the city’s Kalabagan area, the government has finally decided to keep the field as it was.
“There will be no construction work in the Tentultala playground. The field will be kept as it was in the past. No police station will be raised there. Today Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given the directives,” he said this to the journalists in his office on Thursday.
The home minister, however, said that the land will remain the property of the police as they had acquired it.
“As the land has been acquired by the police, it will remain their property. Police will look after the field,” Kamal said.
In reply to a query whether police station will be constructed in future, Home Minister said, “It will be judged in future. But right now, no police station will be constructed.”
Soon after the government’s announcement not to construct a police station, Syeda Ratna, whom police detained for the protest of the construction of the police station, expressed her satisfaction for getting back the playground.
“The field was a breathing space for the locals. We have been continuing our struggle for a long time to save it. As a backlash of our protest, I and my son were detained for 12 hours. But hopefully Prime Minister herself has decided not to construct a police station there. It was my belief that she (PM) will not allow the construction if she comes to know it,” she added.
Meanwhile, Trustee of Gonoshasthaya Kendra Zafrullah Chowdhury thanked the Prime Minister and the Home Minister for the decision not to construct police station considering the demand of the locals for a field.
He said this while holding a press conference organised by Civil Society at the Tentultala playground on Thursday.
Architect Mubasshar Hussein said, “I thank the government for the decision. It’s a gift for the Kalabagan residents on behalf of Prime Minister. I will take the responsibility to make a modern layout for the field.”
Earlier on Wednesday, a group of environmentalists met Home Minister and requested him to stop the construction work and keep the field open for the locals and the children.
Then Home Minister assured them that he would talk to the Prime Minister about the piece of land for the final decision.
He also told them, the government understands the necessity of open fields and water-bodies.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the police administration completed the construction of the wall overnight amid the protest by the locals, environmentalists and citizens’ group.
The locals said that police stopped the erecting of the wall during their protest by day but when they left the place, police completed the construction of the wall overnight.
Police have erected wall on the entire northern part of the field, leaving a small space for entry. The construction materials were scattered and police members were sitting inside on Thursday.
As a part of the protest, the environmentalists earlier planted trees of 14 species on the fringes of the playground.
Home Minister on Wednesday told the journalists that the land was never a playground. Rather it was an abandoned property under the control of the Public Works Department. Later police administration bought the 20 acres land at a cost of Tk 27 crore for the construction of a police station.
The locals were on continuous struggle for saving the playground as it offers some space for the locals used for recreational purposes and playing games.
Amid this situation on last Sunday police detained the local inhabitants Syeda Ratna and her son for 12 hours as they protested against the construction of the police station.
This detention triggered outcry by the politicians, right activists, environmentalists, and locals.
They condemned and protested the detention and demanded immediate release of the mother and son. Police then released them after signature on the undertakings.
