Criminal gangs occupy city parks
Syed Shemul Parvez :
There are about half a hundred parks in the capital to relieve fatigue in a serene environment. While suitable for relaxing during the day, most parks are quite different at night.
As evening approaches, all these places are occupied by drug addicts, temporal sex workers, muggers and transgenders.
Besides, many school and college going students are also seen in the parks to commit anti-social activities during the day. Experts said due to absence of proper management and monitoring of the authority, such anti-social activities are occurring daily.
Hence, citizens are afraid to enter the parks after evening. In the evening, temporally sex workers and transgenders are seen standing on both sides of Panthkunj Park in the capital’s Karwan Bazar. Inside the park, surrounded by greenery, there is open sex and drug addicts hang out.
After evening, different open parks of the capital including Ramna Park, Suhrawardy Udyan and Osmani Udyan are occupied by various criminals’ gangs.
Locals said, anti-social activities continue till dawn in the parks. After a day or two there is a robbery incident. People are afraid to move in and around the parks as there is not enough light and security. If adequate lighting is provided there, the movement of the general public is facilitated.
While talking to a retired government officer who reluctant to be named said that though there are many parks in the capital for the refreshment of the city inhabitants but most of them are occupied by various criminal gangs including muggers, drug addicted, temporal sex workers and transgenders.
As a result, we don’t feel good to come in the parks along with family after evening as we have to face many unexpected situation due to various gangs.
When asked, Dr. Tawhidul Haque, Assistant Professor and Society and Crime experts, Institute of Social Welfare and Research, University of Dhaka, told The New Nation that to maintain the city parks, two city corporations have not taken any mentionable initiatives.
There are some parks where staffs and night guards are still absent. Even there is no lighting system in the parks. Consequently different crime gangs including the muggers, drug traders and temporal sex workers take the place to commit anti-social activities as a safe zone, Dr. Tawhidul said.
Most of the city parks have already occupied by such criminals gang. Behind these crimes, there are also strong syndicates who maintain the whole park on the behalf of powerful people.
If stern initiatives are not taken instantly by the city corporations, people will never think to enter the parks with their family for being the safe criminal’s zone, he added.
In this regard, Deputy Police Commissioner of DMP Muhammad Ashraf Hossain said that the police are always active in the safety of the city dwellers. Police are always on patrol. Those who do all these evil things try to evade the eyes of the police.
Police efforts are continuing to keep the environment of the parks good.
Earlier, Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapas, mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation, assured that the parks will be renovated soon. We can start the work very soon. We hope to start renovation of Panthkunj and Osmani Udyan within this year.
