Bangabandhu Bridge Eco Park in sorry state
Bangabandhu Bridge Eco Park, situated along the Jamuna river on the western side of the Bangabandhu Bridge, is in a sorry state now, though few development works can make the spot much attractive to the visitors.
The construction work of the park, which is about 125 kilometres from Dhaka and 12 kilometres from Sirajganj town, was started in 2006 on 600 acres of land of Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA).
After completion of its construction in 2008 and the park was opened to public the same year.
The reasons of setting up the park there were protecting the guide embankment of the Bangabandhu Bridge, making orchard of rare trees and creating habitat for wild animals as well as ensuring entertainment and research facilities.
Sources said the park, having a total of 136 verities of plants including fruit and medicinal ones, started losing its attraction to the visitors due to poor maintenance and sheer negligence in improving the necessary facilities.
During a visit to the park on May 1, this correspondent saw its worn-out condition and found almost no visitors there, except some young boys and girls.
Besides, two porcupines, few monkeys and hares, all hungry and sick, were spotted in the small zoo that has only four cages.
During the inauguration of the park, eight spotted deer were released and gradually their numbers were increased in the last 10 years.
But as there is no pond inside the park area the beautiful animals have been facing acute drinking water crisis since its inauguration.
However, this correspondent could not see any of the deer inside the 154 acres area of the park during his stay for several hours.
Shah Alam, a resident of Sirajganj’s Belkuchi upazila, who came to visit the park with his wife and children, said only one out of the three toilets of the park is usable.
“Almost all the animal cages in the park are empty and there is no arrangement for children’s entertainment,” Alam said.
Touhidul Islam, another visitor from Tangail’s Bhuapur upazila, said the park has nothing except some trees.
“The sitting arrangements along the river were damaged long ago and the security system inside the park is very poor here,” Touhidul alleged.
The park would be an attractive place for the visitors if entertainment facilities for the children are installed and some small cottages are constructed inside it, he said.
Forester Mohammad Ripon Miah, also the park ranger, said except the Eid days and Pahela Baishakh the number of visitors at the park is very poor.
He said the authorities concerned should take a plan and make a picnic spot with car parking facilities, set up children’s park with modern rides, increase the number of wild animals, ensure electricity supply, construct watch tower and toilets¸ install close circuit cameras and increase security personnel inside the park to attract the visitors.
Mohammad Shahin, assistant engineer at the site office of Bangabandhu Bridge in Tangail, said before finalising the alignment of the new rail bridge along the Bangabandhu Bridge massive development of the park can not be possible.
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