The Dhanomondi Lake restoration work completion deadline has been extended by six months from December 2012 to June 2013, officials concerned said.
The work is being done under the Improvement of Damaged Infrastructure and Civic Amenities in Dhanmondi Lake Project.
The officials said the additional time was needed to free some grabbed plots of land of the project area, change some architectural plans due to a budget constraint, and revise some of the project components.
They said the project authorities had already freed some lakeside areas beside Dhanmondi Road 27 and the Kalabagan playground.
The project had a component of building an orchid plaza, a butterfly park, on the lakeside beside Dhanmondi Road 6A, but the plan was changed in the face of complaints of some residents of the area who said they did not want it there. The orchid plaza is now being built beside the Kalabagan playground.
The officials also claimed after completion of the project, maintenance and security of the Dhanmondi Lake would be ensured properly.
Under the project all makeshift shops will be evicted from the area, mainly from Dhanmondi Road 8 and Rabindra Sarobar, replaced by some permanent food shops.
Dhaka South City Corporation chief engineer said the government undertook the massive scheme to beautify and ensure security and systematic maintenance of the 98-acre Dhanmondi Lake stretching from Dhanmondi Road 27 (old) to Dhanomndi Road 2 in April 2011.
The project funds come from the local government and rural development ministry through the DSCC.
The government will bear 90 per cent and the DSCC the rest of the project cost estimated at Tk 23.64 crore, the project officials said.
The 16 Engineering Construction Battalion under the Special Works Organisation of Bangladesh Army is implementing the project, with Vitti Sthapati Brindo working as the project consultant.
The project is designed to construct and reconstruct walkways and drainage system, build footpaths and foot over-bridges at Kalabagan and Dhanomndi Road 8, fountains, a children’s park, an orchid plaza, and urinal cubicles, and install a modern lighting system, said DSCC executive engineer Khairul Baker.
Vitti Sthapati Brindo director Iqbal Habib said their firm had restored the lake in 1997-98.
He said the lake was almost lost due to negligence and misuse and the restoration project in 1997-98 saved it to some extent. ‘Now we want to complete the job and add some new components which will ensure proper maintenance of the water body.’
The water of the lake has become highly polluted and the walkways and other structures have become badly damaged in the past 16 years, he said.
Iqbal said the project site was divided into seven areas. Footpaths and walkways have already been developed and the lake has been dredged in the area between Dhanmondi Road 27 (old) and Road 32 (old).
In Area 2 lying between Dhanmondi Road 32 (old) and the Kalabagan playground, we are constructing some sits and a raised garden, installing a lighting system on Dhanmondi Road 32 (old), and building a shed and renovating the Bangabandhu Smriti Angan in front of the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum,’ he went on.
Iqbal said construction of the Russel Sishutosh Angan, a non-mechanised playground for children, and an orchid plaza beside the Kalabagan playground was in progress.
Besides, the project aims at restoring the drainage system, reconstructing the edge of the lake, building three floating decks for children to feed fishes, two foot over-bridges at Kalabagan and Dhanmondi Road 8, three public toilets, four fountains, and two gymnasiums at Dhanmondi roads 8 and 32 (old), and providing drinking water as well as irrigating tree plantations from a deep tube-well.
The Dhanmondi Lake and the park, a patch of greenery that provides the city-dwellers with relief and entertainment, strive to survive the onslaught of Dhaka’s ever-increasing population and organisational neglect. (Source)
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