All three major children’s parks in Chattogram remain closed, depriving thousands of children of crucial recreational spaces and raising alarms among parents and experts about the long-term impact on child development.
The crisis became most apparent during the extended Eid-ul-Fitr holidays when families struggled to find places to take their children.
With no parks to visit, children increasingly turned to screens for entertainment, deepening their dependence on mobile phones and junk food, according to worried guardians.
Among the three parks, Kazir Dewri Children’s Park was sealed in 2023 by the district administration and later demolished due to alleged lease violations.
The other two—the Agrabad Karnaphuli Children’s Park and the Chandgaon Swadhinata Complex Park—have remained closed since 5 August last year. Both were run by leaseholders reportedly affiliated with the previous Awami League-led government, who went into hiding following the party’s fall from power.
On the same day, Swadhinata Complex Park was vandalised by angry protesters. Neither park has reopened since.
Despite this year’s Eid holidays providing ample time for family outings, most parents had no choice but to visit rooftop restaurants that have set up makeshift children’s zones. With open spaces dwindling, guardians fear the situation will only worsen.
Razia Sultana, a homemaker from Badurtala in the city, said, “My husband’s job has brought us here with our two children. Now this apartment is their whole world. We used to go to Swadhinata Park and others nearby, but now all of them are shut. The children’s zones in malls and restaurants are far too expensive.”
According to the 2022 report by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Chattogram has nearly 8,00,000 children aged between one and 14, with over 5,50,000 of them between five and 14.
Experts suggest that for every 1,000 residents, at least three acres of land should be allocated for playgrounds or parks. With a population of around seven million, the city should have 700 such spaces across 3,500 acres. In reality, only four parks under the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) offer children’s facilities—and only Foy’s Lake is currently functional. The Swadhinata Complex Park was originally built in 2006 on 11 acres in Chandgaon as the Shaheed Zia Memorial Complex.
After the Awami League assumed power in 2009, it was renamed and leased to party affiliates. The park featured replicas of key national landmarks like the Parliament Building, Shaheed Minar and Ahsan Manzil, alongside over 15 rides, several restaurants and a revolving restaurant atop a 200-foot tower offering panoramic views of the city and the River Karnaphuli.
Since the vandalism last August and the disappearance of leaseholder Helal Uddin, also a vice president of the Chattogram City Swechchhasebok League, the site has been overtaken by weeds and fallen into disrepair.
The Agrabad Karnaphuli Children’s Park, established on 8.86 acres of land allocated by the Public Works Department in 1992, was leased in 1999 to Ananda Mela Limited for 25 years. It too has remained shut since 5 August, with its operator abandoning the park.
Kazir Dewri Zia Memorial Children’s Park, once a popular entertainment hub managed by Via Media Business Services since 1992, was sealed and then demolished in October 2023 after allegations of lease breaches.
Professor Muhammad Rashidul Hasan, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning at the Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, attributed the shutdowns to a combination of bureaucratic complexities, political instability and poor planning.
“Due to bureaucratic issues, Kazir Dewri Park no longer exists. Political instability resulted in the closure of Karnaphuli and Swadhinata parks,” he said. “Now, Foy’s Lake is the only entertainment centre available—but it’s not affordable for everyone.”
Roufun Naher, assistant professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at the University of Dhaka, said, “Play is a universal language. It is essential for a child’s development. Closing open spaces like parks is a direct threat to that development.”
She further said, “There is no alternative to parks for relieving the mental stress of children in urban life. Parks not only offer recreation; they are also crucial for socialisation.”
City authorities have indicated efforts are underway to bring the parks back into operation. A CCC source confirmed that the city corporation has written to the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs seeking permission to take over and operate Swadhinata Complex Park.
Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Farida Khanam said, “We are aware of the CCC’s interest. Adviser to the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs Farooq-e-Azam has already visited the park. A report will be sent to the ministry recommending its reopening.”
CCC Chief Executive Officer Sheikh Muhammad Tawhidul Islam said, “Karnaphuli Park remains closed as we could not reach Ananda Mela Limited. We are cancelling their contract and plan to reopen the park with a new operator—Wonderland.”
Mayor Dr Shahadat Hossain also confirmed the city’s interest in reclaiming the Kazir Dewri Park site.
“We plan to turn the land into a green-themed park. A proposal has already been sent to the Ministry of Defence seeking the land’s allocation to CCC,” he said.
With the main parks shut, alternative destinations like the Chattogram Zoo and Foy’s Lake saw massive crowds during Eid.  Dr Shahadat Hossain Shubho, Deputy Curator of the zoo, said, “On Eid day alone, we sold 14,600 tickets. In the following three days, we had an average of 15,000 visitors daily.”
Biswajit Ghosh, deputy manager (Marketing) of Concord, the operator of Foy’s Lake, said, “We opened the park in the afternoon on Eid day, and within four hours, more than 2,000 visitors had arrived. Over the next three days, daily footfall averaged over 6,000.”