Dhaka’s Osmani Udyan stays closed as new ‘memorial complex’ replaces open space

The Osmani Udyan with a patch of greenery lies adjacent to the busy Gulistan area in the capital Dhaka. A development project is already underway there, drawing objections from environmentalists. Now, a new initiative to build another structure in the park has further heightened their concerns.

Osmani Udyan is popularly called the “lungs of Dhaka,” where various structures were erected under a development project by the Dhaka South City Corporation during the previous Awami League government.

Now, under the caretaker government, the Ministry of Local Government will construct a memorial there to honour the martyrs of the July uprising at a cost of Tk 460 million (46 crore0.

Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan, adviser to the local government ministry, recently told Prothom Alo that a memorial is being constructed in Osmani Udyan on behalf of the ministry, with the design work being carried out through the City Corporation. Once the design is finalised and approved by the ministry, construction of the monument will begin.

He further said, “There are structures in all major parks across the country, commemorating historical events or figures. For instance, Suhrawardy Udyan is home to the glass tower and Liberation War Museum while Zia Udyan of Chandrima Udyan houses tombs and monuments.”

According to local government ministry sources, the location chosen for the memorial was initially designated as a children’s play area in the current development plan. The site was handed over to the contractor on 3 August, and piling work has already started.

A visit to Osmani Udyan on 16 September revealed that piling work was in progress, and construction materials were being brought to the site.

As of Friday, it was learned that a 21-day break was required after the piling. The foundation stone of the memorial is set to be laid on Sunday. The monument will rise 80 to 90 feet high.

Osmani Udyan spans on a 21.85-acre land between the Bangladesh Secretariat and the Dhaka South City Corporation’s Nagar Bhaban. There are numerous trees and two ponds in the park, which is named after General Muhammad Ataul Gani Osmani, the Commander-in-Chief of the Liberation War.

Over the years, several movements have been launched to save Osmani Udyan. In 1997, the then Awami League government planned to build a NAM Conference Center on the site, which would have required cutting down trees. Poet Shamsur Rahman, academic Serajul Islam Choudhury, and many others joined the “Save 11,000 Trees Movement” in protest. It was during this campaign that Osmani Udyan came to be known as the “lungs of Old Dhaka.”

The government abandoned its plan to build the NAM Centre in the wake of protests. Later, an individual claimed ownership of part of the park’s land during the caretaker government in 2001 and initiated a plan to build a five-star hotel, by cutting trees at night. Environmental activists eventually thwarted that effort too.

In 2017, then Dhaka south city mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon launched a Tk 1.08 billion (108 crore) development project under the name Gossa Nibarani Park (Anger Management Park).

Although the project was scheduled for completion by December 2020, it remains unfinished. As a result, city residents have been deprived of access to the park for seven years, and several incomplete concrete structures lie abandoned inside the park. At that time, the construction of so many concrete structures inside the park drew strong criticism.

Shatotto is the consulting firm for the development project of this park. Regarding the construction of new monuments, Shatotto proprietor and principal architect Rafiq Azam told Prothom Alo that, according to building regulations, no structure taller than 16 feet can be built inside a park, and only 5 per cent of the total park area can be used for structures.

That 5 per cent threshold has already been reached in Osmani Udyan. Legally, no new structure can be built there. However, if additional structures need to be built on an urgent basis for state purposes, public opinion must be sought, and a public hearing must be held, he added.

Instead of constructing a new monument, Rafiq Azam suggested setting up a museum inside one of the under-construction buildings within the park to preserve the memory of the July-August events.

“On the western side of the park, there is a half-underground structure that was originally meant to house a city museum. Though the structure is partially completed, it remains empty due to a funding shortage. The government could use that space to create a large-scale July-August Revolution Museum. The city museum covers about 10,000 square feet, and using it would eliminate the need to spend additional funds on new construction,” he said.

Urban planners, architects, and environmentalists have voiced alarm, saying that since structures already occupy more than the legally allowed 5 per cent of the park’s land, building another structure would destroy what remains of Osmani Udyan’s green space.

Professor Adil Muhammad Khan, president of Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP), told Prothom Alo that internationally, urban planning practices require that any construction within a park first be presented publicly for feedback. 

Designs are finalised only after collecting opinions from citizens and professionals. Unfortunately, this has never been practiced in Bangladesh. Excessive use of concrete has already stripped Osmani Udyan of its natural character. Any further construction will erase what little is left, he warned.

Javed Jahan, member of executive committee of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) and member secretary of Adi Dhakabashi Forum, was involved in earlier movements to save Osmani Udyan.

He told Prothom Alo constructing permanent concrete structures within any park or garden is not acceptable. According to him, the July Memorial could have been built elsewhere.

Speaking about the trend of constructing structures in Dhaka’s parks, Javed Jahan said what happened in the past should not be used as justification since so many people gave their lives in July for change.