Dhaka Shishu Park: Development work begins, finally

The development work of Dhaka Shishu Park is finally starting today after it remained closed for five and half years.

"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the development work of Shishu Park on Saturday. After that we will start the park's construction and renovation work. Hopefully, we will complete the work within two years," said Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh.

The DSCC will manage the park and reopen it for children after the development work is completed, said project officials.

SHISHU PARK AT A GLANCE

Dhaka Shishu Park is the country's first amusement park for children located in Shahbagh. It was originally a venture of the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation and was named after former president Ziaur Rahman.

The then Dhaka City Corporation later took jurisdiction of the 15-acre park in 1983. After the DCC split into Dhaka North and Dhaka South in November 2011, DSCC took charge of the park, and later renamed it after Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy on December 30, 2021.

Since its inception, Shishu Park has always been a major recreational spot for children in the capital, especially during holidays.

Since January 2019, Eid holidays came and went by 11 times but the park remained closed.

The Public Works Department (PWD), which owns the park's land, was initially involved in constructing an underground car parking under the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs' Swadhinata Stambha (Phase-3) project. Upon the project's completion, the land was handed over to the DSCC for continuation of modernisation efforts.

PROJECT DETAILS

The DSCC prepared a Tk 603 crore development project for Shishu Park in the budget for FY 2023-2024 and sent it to the local government ministry, which was later approved by the Ecnec in October last year, said DSCC officials.

The government will provide Tk 483 crore for the project's implementation, of which half will be as grant and the rest as loan at five percent interest. The DSCC will bear the rest of the cost.

Once renovated, the park will introduce 15 new rides, including Mine Train Roller Coaster, Disk'O Mega 40, Super Air Race, Tea Cup 9, Flying Carrousels, Endeavour, Galleon, 12D Theatre, Climbing Car, Bumper Car, Magic Bikes, Trampoline Bed, Super Happy Swing, Merry Go Round, and Water Mania.