Hatirjheel project opened to public

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opens the project that will connect east and west Dhaka.

The long-awaited Hatirjheel-Begunbari integrated development project was opened for the public on Wednesday .

The project, spread over 302 acres, will facilitate connectivity between eastern and western Dhaka . There will be a room for public recreation.

The project, spread over 302 acres, will facilitate connectivity between eastern and western Dhaka. There will be a room for public recreation.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina unveiled the project's plaque on Wednesday morning.

Earlier the Prime Minister drove through the area to get a first hand feel of the project on her arrival there at 10:30 am. Later she was welcomed on stage to slogans of "Joi Bangla".

Hatirjheel-Begunbari project, stretching from Hotel Sonargaon to Bansree, was taken up in 2007, during the last caretaker government's time with an outlay of Tk20 million – 93 percent of which was funded by the government.

Completed in five years, the project aims to reduce water-logging and maintain Dhaka's environmental balance.

A lake flows through the heart of the project. A 16-kilometre road has been built beside the lake for traffic, connecting four big and four small bridges (viaducts) and as many overpasses for pedestrians.

Boat rides are available and facilities are there for small scale family picnics.

The area has been delightfully decorated with flowering shrubs and colourful flags. Some elephants were seen carrying a group of local musicians.

Traffic on several roads including the Gulshan link road was diverted during the the Prime Minister's arrival.

Project Director ASM Raihanul Ferdous told bdnews24.com that some work on the project were not yet complete. "Once finished, the place will be a spot for leisure-seekers."

He said commuters can now easily move to Kawran Bazar from Badda and Rampura.

The project has three car-parking and exit points near the FDC intersection, Moghbazar railway crossing and Rampura bridge.

Prof Shamsul Haq, a transport expert with the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), told bdnews24.com that the project would reduce the city's nagging snarls to some extent.

The Integrated Development Project (Amendment) in Hatirjheel area under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works was approved on Dec 28, 2008 at the last meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) during the last caretaker government.

Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, or the Capital Development Authority, 16 Engineering Construction Battalion of Army, Dhaka WASA and the LGED jointly implemented the project with BUET as its consultant.

Hatirjheel History

Legend goes that the elephants of Dhaka's Peelkhana used to take bath in these wetlands – hence the name Hatirjheel.

Urban planner- architect Iqbal Habib, who heads the consultant firm of the Hatirjheel-Begunbari development project, said that the Bhawal Raja used to keep his tamed elephants at Peelkhana.

The elephants were taken to the wetlands through the Elephant Road and Hatirpool, he said.