THE Dhaka south city authorities temporarily closed the Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy Shishu Park in January 2019 for renovation and modernisation by December 2019. The plan was part of the Building Liberation Monument in Suhrawardy Udyan project of the liberation war affairs ministry. But the plan never took off because of budget constraints. The project director says that they do not have a date to begin the renovation work as the original budgetary allocation was inadequate and the new proposal of the city authorities awaits a planning ministry approval. Children from across Dhaka and neighbouring areas, meanwhile, are disappointed when they find the door of the park is still closed to them. Parents question the decision of the city authorities to close the park without a proper plan for modernisation and express their disappointment at the failure to keeping the public informed of the park closure. In a city where playgrounds and open space disappear fast, the planning ministry should expedite the approval process and the city authorities should have it on their priority agenda.

The importance of playgrounds and open places in child development is undeniable. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises that every child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts. As a signatory to the convention, Bangladesh is obliged to ensure children’s access to playgrounds and public parks. The reality, however, says otherwise and the situation is grim for children in Dhaka. In 2017, a Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics survey reported that only 2 per cent of children in Dhaka have access to playgrounds. Keeping to data of the primary education authorities, there are 338 primary schools, 450 NGO-run schools and more than 11,000 kindergartens in Dhaka. Apart from government schools, 98 per cent of private schools do not have any playground. In 2019, a Bangladesh Institute of Planners report suggested that the city needs at least 1,071 more playgrounds for its total population. The required number of playgrounds could be even higher if the World Health Organisation standard, which suggests nine square metres of open space for each resident, is followed. The report also said that out of the 235 playgrounds, 193 were restricted for ordinary people and 16 public playgrounds were grabbed by influential quarters.

Denying access to playgrounds and public parks has unexpected long-term consequences on child development. The planning ministry and the city authorities must, therefore, consider reopening the park by completing the renovation and modernisation work at its earliest. The government must also immediately take initiatives to reclaim and restore open spaces in the capital city and in other urban areas. In the name of modernisation, the denial of access to playgrounds for children for a protracted period is unacceptable.