Wonderland demolition resumes
Rajuk continued demolition drive at Wonderland park in the capital yesterday after a two-day recess and pulled down more structures.
The eviction is aimed at freeing around four-acre area of Gulshan central playground, which the amusement park had been occupying illegally, according to the government authorities.
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhha (Rajuk) flattened the frontal boundary wall of Wonderland on May 7 following a Supreme Court verdict.
After the wall demolition, Rajuk allowed the park authorities two days to remove expensive rides and machineries from inside the park on their own.
Exactly after two days, the eviction drive resumed, tearing down the children park's rest of the set-ups.
"We are back to continue the demolition", said Rajuk Executive Magistrate Rokon Ud Doula Rokon, who along with Rajuk Executive Engineer Nurul Islam led the drive yesterday.
Rokon said, "The progress in removal of rides and machineries by the owner during last two days is remarkable".
GM Mostafizur Rahman, managing director of Wonderland, was found imploring the Rajuk officials to allow him some more time to dismantle heavily-mounted tower, different hydraulic children's game equipment and electric generators.
"Rajuk has been unusually meticulous and came back precisely on time to evict this children park", Rahman said.
He alleged that a powerful political quarter, including ruling party lawmakers, were active behind such hurried action, as they aspired to occupy the land for commercial development.
Rajuk chairman Nurul Huda earlier told The Daily Star that it would remain an open public space.
The entire central playground is shown as an open public park in the layout plan of Rajuk.
Dhaka City Corporation leased out the said portion of Gulshan central playground to M/s Via Media to develop commercial amusement park without legal authority in 1990.
Saiful Bhuiyan, a Gulshan resident, made a visit to the park area along with his two kids while demolition was going on yesterday.
"My three-year-old son was so upset with the demolition of the park that he could not sleep last three nights and forced me to take him to see what was happening", he said.
Meanwhile, two antic canons belonging to the British colonial era, set up at the main entrance of the park, were taken back under the custody of the National Museum.
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