Home ›› 29 Apr 2022 ›› Front
The battle over making a playground or police station on Tetultala ground in Kalabaganj ended when the children finally won as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday ordered to halt construction of any police station there.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Thursday said no establishment will be constructed on Tetultala ground and the field will remain as it is.
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has suggested not to construct any establishment on Tetultala ground. The field will remain as it is,” Asaduzzman said at a press briefing at the ministry.
“We applied in 2017 seeking the land for construction of Kalabagan police station. Later the government allotted the land and handed it over to us,” said Asaduzzman.
“I found that there was no place to play in that area. The prime minister also suggested that since there is no open place for entertainment, the land should be left as it is. No construction will be done and that’s our decision,” he added.
The minister said the boundary wall will remain as it is and the locals will use the space as they used it in the past. “If there is any difficulty, we will see. But the land will belong to police and police will maintain it,” he said.
Amid protests from locals, environmentalists, rights, cultural, social and political groups in the last couple of days, the government finally took the decision.
In a briefing on the playground noted architect Mubasshar Hussein, also president of the Institute of Architects Bangladesh, said that such open space is mandatory for every locality for earthquake safety.
“The area is not perfect for an ideal police station as the width of the road should be at least 20 feet but road beside the field is only 12 feet wide. Even if there is a fire incident, it will be difficult for firefighters to do the rescue work,” he added
“It is not only a field but also a breathing space for the locals. People don’t want any police station here. Police have to consider the people’s desires as police are the friend of people,” said Mubasshar.
Former advisor of a caretaker government Rasheda K Chowdhury at the briefing said, “With this decision, the prime minister again proved that she is the daughter of the Father of the Nation. It’s an Eid gift from the prime minister and many thanks to her for the people-oriented decision,” said Rasheda.
The children of the locality said that they were not able to play on the field for the past three months. After the government’s decision, they expressed victory and came out to play on the field.
“Unable to play for three months has affected the mental health of the local children. We are really happy that the space is now open for everyone,” Priyangshu, who was taken to the police station for protesting the construction, told the Business Post.
On Sunday, Syeda Ratna, one of the leading activists of the movement, and her 17-year-old son, Priyangshu, were whisked up to Kalabagan police station. They were released after 13 hours on the condition of “not obstructing government work”.
Following the brief detention of the mother-son duo, rights activists joined the growing chorus for saving the playground.
