Despite a High Court verdict, Dhaka authorities have yet to free the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Memorial Park in Gulshan from occupation. Instead, the North City Corporation’s administrator has once again leased the public park to Gulshan Youth Club. On Saturday, environmental activists under the banner Maidan-Park and Waterbody Protection Movement criticized the move, saying many playgrounds across the capital — including those in Kalabagan and Dhanmondi — are being leased out to private clubs, which in turn rent them for commercial gain. They demanded that all such public parks and grounds be opened for free access to city residents. Details report by Sushanta sinha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3EV3iW_B68The 8 acres or 26-bigha site, located opposite Gulshan’s Azad Mosque, was once occupied by Wonderland Park. During a previous government term, the illegal structures were cleared, and the land was renamed Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Park to serve as an open public space. However, that status did not last long. The park was later leased to Gulshan Youth Club, reportedly through connections with then-Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Fazle Noor Taposh’s relatives. After securing the lease, the club redeveloped the ground by installing artificial turf and transformed it into a football venue, charging Tk 8,000 per hour for play.

In October 2024, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) announced a decision to free the park from occupation. But, mysteriously, no steps were taken to implement that decision. Earlier, in 2022, Gulshan Youth Club lost a legal battle in the High Court, which ruled that no private entity has the right to build structures inside a government-owned park.

Environmentalists now allege that instead of enforcing the verdict and RAJUK’s decision, North City Corporation administrator Mohammad Ejaz has renewed the lease to the same club. They also pointed out that similar leases have been granted to clubs in Kalabagan, Dhanmondi, and Tetultala, calling for their immediate cancellation.