Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has set up a new steering committee to safeguard 106 parks, playgrounds and public spaces in its jurisdiction.
The decision came at the 13th corporation meeting held on Monday at the DNCC’s Gulshan Office . The move aims to ensure the public’s free access to these amenities and to supervise their proper operation and maintenance.
DNCC Administrator Mohammad Azaz said that parks and fields across Dhaka currently have diverse ownership and management structures, leading to problems with encroachment and poor maintenance. He stated that the new committee will create a unified platform for all relevant parties to oversee these public spaces.
The nine-member steering committee will meet monthly and submit reports to the corporation on the overall condition of the facilities. Its mandate includes monitoring security, maintenance, and management, ensuring unimpeded access for all citizens, and preventing the unauthorised occupation of these spaces by clubs or commercial entities.
A survey conducted on the DNCC administrator’s instructions identified the 106 sites. Currently, the DNCC directly owns only 37 of them. The National Housing Authority owns 17. The remaining facilities fall under the ownership or management of various other institutions, organisations, schools, and colleges.
The committee will include representatives from the DNCC, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), the Public Works Department/National Housing Authority, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), the district administration, and civil society. Named members are Aminur Rasul, Zakia Shishir, Mir Mahbubur Rahman Snigdha, and Md Hafizur Rahman Moyna.
Additionally, each of the DNCC’s ten zones will form a local citizen’s committee, chaired by the zonal executive officer. These local committees will handle day-to-day maintenance, security, and access for the parks and fields in their area. The central steering committee will supervise these local bodies.
The committee will also engage with school and college authorities to explore making their fields available to the local community in the evenings.
Under the Local Government (City Corporation) Act, 2009, the corporation holds the legal responsibility for preserving, controlling, and maintaining parks, playgrounds, and open spaces.
For facilities within the DNCC area but not under its ownership, the committee will work with the relevant authorities and local representatives to undertake development work. The goal is to make these parks and fields more suitable and accessible for all citizens.
