Osmani Udyan in the capital has reopened after nearly nine years, but visitors must pay Tk10 each to enter, despite several key facilities remaining closed and parts of the park littered with rubbish.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) says the entry fee will help cover maintenance costs and keep the park clean. However, visitors have expressed disappointment over the park's condition and the lack of operational facilities.
Urban planner Professor Adil Muhammad Khan criticised both the entry fee and the park's condition, saying access to parks and green spaces was a basic civic need.
"Charging people to use a park developed with such a huge expenditure contradicts the city corporation's responsibilities. The entry fee should be scrapped immediately, and the park opened to everyone," he said.
He said the extensive use of concrete and construction of infrastructure had undermined the park's essential character, adding that charging an entry fee would further restrict residents' access to green spaces.
Asma Akter, a resident of Bangshal who visited the park, said she had not expected to pay to enter.
"It would have been better if the library and food court were open. People come here to walk around, sit, eat and spend time, but these facilities are still not operational," she said.
She also expressed disappointment over the park's cleanliness, saying she had expected better maintenance after such a long closure.
During a visit on 20 October, the park's library, city museum, gymnasium, shops and toilets were found locked. The car park was also unused, while plastic bottles and other rubbish were scattered across the grounds. One of the park's two lakes contained dirty, algae-covered water, while the other had dried up completely.
DSCC Executive Engineer (Civil) Saiful Islam Joy said the entry fee had been introduced to cover maintenance expenses. Facilities including the children's zone and gymnasium were being prepared for full operation, while work on the library had been completed through the corporation's social welfare department.
He said the city corporation lacked sufficient manpower and the capacity to manage the entire park independently. The DSCC had been working for several months to arrange management through a public-private partnership (PPP), outsourcing or another organisation, and the process was nearing completion.
Joy said the park was now open daily from 6am to 6pm, with the corporation's Ansar members providing security. The DSCC also plans to strengthen security and increase personnel.
Spanning around 22 acres, Osmani Udyan was once a popular destination for residents to walk, relax and spend their leisure time. It was closed in 2017 for redevelopment.
That year, then DSCC mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon initiated a Tk108 crore redevelopment project. Renovation work was inaugurated in January 2018, with completion scheduled for 2020. Following various allegations, the contract with the first contractor was cancelled, and PF Corporation was awarded the work in 2023.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated the park on Monday (19 October), although several important facilities remain unopened.
The redevelopment also includes the July Memorial, built in memory of those killed during the July Mass Uprising. During the interim government, the Local Government Ministry initiated a Tk39 crore project to construct the memorial and two entrances to the park.
Built on about one acre, the 90-foot memorial bears the laser-engraved names of 834 people killed during the uprising, with 20 symbolic tombstones in front. Its relief sculptures depict key moments in Bangladesh's history, including the Language Movement, the 1969 mass uprising, the Liberation War, the 1990 mass movement and the 2024 uprising.
The redevelopment has also added fruit-bearing, forest and ornamental trees, along with walking paths, seating areas, an exercise facility and two water bodies.