Pantha Kunja waiting for green grass
City Correspondent
The Pantha Kunja, a park near the Sonargaon intersection, has remained off-limits to the general public for nearly eight months. The park was originally scheduled to re-open in January after renovation but that plan was put back. Although the renovation work is complete, Arkay Group, the private firm in charge of renovation and beautification, said that they were still waiting for the grass to grow inside the park. "We plan to open the park to the public as soon as possible. The delay is happening because the grass of the meadow inside the park is yet to grow fully," said Ahteshamul Haque Babar, in-charge of the beautification project. Babar hoped that the park would be opened by the end of May as the greenery would thrive with rainfall. "Our emphasis is on the greenery of the park and the plaza and that is why we are taking time," he added. Arkay Group divided the park into two parts. Renovation of one part, which it named Pantha Kunja Plaza (near the Saarc fountain) was also completed in January. This portion has remained out of bounds although the Dhaka mayor formally opened it on January 12. Officials of Arkay Group said that they would let the public in after building a permanent boundary around the plaza. However, no fencing work was done during the last five months. Now homeless floating people who had left the park's premises once the renovation work started, are coming back again and have already started encroaching the footpaths of the park on the Kanthalbagan side. Meanwhile, residents of Kanthalbagan, Bangla Motor, Hatirpool and adjoining areas were unhappy with the delay in re-opening of the only quality open space in the locality. The park was cordoned off last November for renovation and beautification under the Dhaka city beautification project. The park has immense importance to the locals and many people used go there for jogging, walking, exercising or just to take in the clean air. Officials of Arkay Group admitted that they have received many letters from local residents who requested immediate re-opening of the park. "There will be no restrictions in using the park after it is re-opened and we are thinking of turning it into a complete recreational spot. We would even allow people to have picnic here and will try to make sure that everyone gets maximum recreation from the park," said the managing director of Arkay Group adding that special security measures will be taken to ensure a fun time.
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