Staff Reporter

Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Md Atiqul Islam requested the Prime Minister to allocate an open place adjacent to Paris Road in Mirpur Section 11 of the capital to DNCC, for building a playground.

“There are more than 60 educational institutions in Mirpur 11 area under Ward No. 3 and about three lakh people live in here. Sports are very important for the mental and physical development of a person, especially for students, but there is no playground here,” the DNCC Mayor told the newsmen after visiting the open place today morning, said a release.

The Mayor also said, that he Detailed Area Plan (DAP) was designed only after the approval of the Prime Minister and so, by design it is ought to be an open space, where no structures can be built.

"As per the design of DAP, I humbly request Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to allocate this open space to Dhaka North City Corporation as a playground. If allotted, DNCC will build a modern playground and a walkway around the field for people to walk,” Atiqul said.

Mentioning that Bangladesh has gained fame in the world through sports referring to the SAFF Women's Football Championship 2022, the DNCC Mayor said, “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is a sports loving person. Under her leadership, Bangladesh is continuously achieving success in sports. So it is our responsibility to create more sports opportunities for boys and girls by facilitating them with playgrounds.”

Earlier in the morning, the mayor noticed a large number of students and local people calling for a hunger strike demanding a playground in the open place. He then talked with them and expressed solidarity with their demand.

The protestors agreed to break the hunger strike after the assurance of the mayor. Later, Atiqul made them drink water to break the strike, the release added.

DNCC Chief Executive Officer Md Salim Reza, Chief Health Officer Brigadier General Md Zobaidur Rahman, Chief Engineer Brigadier General Md Amirul Islam, Chief Waste Management Officer Commodore SM Sharif-ul Islam, Chief Property Officer Dr Mohammad Mahe Alam, Ward No. 3 Councilor Kazi Zahirul Islam Manik and Ward No. 14 Councilor Md Humayun Rashid Johnny were present at that moment.