Hatirjheel

Hatirjheel

Description

Building the entire site cost 19.71 billion (19710 million) taka in an area of 302 acre.In it 10.48 billion (10480 million) taka was spent in having the site. RAJUK has 46% of the area which includes an area of 81 acre to court of walks, 141 acre for public lands and 1 acre for BTV. The project first permitted in October 2007. The project was said to be finished in three years time (in June 2010), but the construction began in December 2008. It took further half year time for expanding it. The total money to create the project included the money of RAJUK (1113.7 billion taka), LGED (2760 million) and WASA (866.95 million).

 

picnics. At night, lights of different colours illuminate the entire Hatirjheel, especially on the bridges. The area has been delightfully decorated with flowering shrubs and colourful flags. Once completed, the project became a place for the pleasure-seekers. As Dhaka is densely populated, and has so many buildings, that it seems to have no open spaces, but conveniently Hatirjheel has lots of spaces to contain fresh air, as a result the people could come and feel the fresh air. Hatirjheel is considered to be one of the most notable places in Dhaka. The entire Hatirjheel is meticulously designed with about four main and four minor bridges (viaducts) and several overpasses for pedestrians. There are also many sitting arrangements for pedestrians by the river-side. A lake flows through the heart of the project with a 16 km road beside the lake for traffic. Besides, it has a picturesque view, and people from all over the Bangladesh comes to see this amazing place. Boat rides are available and facilities are there for small scale family

 

History

 

Legend has it that the elephants of Dhaka's Pilkhana used to take bath in these wetlands – there the name comes 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 Pilkhana.

He said that the elephants were taken to the wetlands through the Elephant Road and Hatirpool.

Location

Hatirjheel is located at the centre of the capital city, Dhaka. It has a latitude of 23.7495747 and a longitude of 90.3967635. In other words, the Hatirjheel has a coordinate of 23°44′58.47″N 90°23′48.35″W.The place is surrounded by Tejgaon, Gulshan, Badda, Rampura, Niketon, Maghbazar etc., and it made the transportation of the people living near these areas much easier. The location of Hatirjheel is perfect for the transportation system.

Inauguration

The Hatirjheel-Begunbari project was inaugurated in January 2, 2013 by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at 11 o'clock at morning. Right before the inauguration the Prime Minister had a look all around the Hatirjheel. The Hatirjheel project opened for the use of general people after the inauguration. As Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, it was a new year gift to the people, while inaugurating the project on Wednesday.

On the occasion of the inauguration, Hatirjheel had been decorated with multi-coloured flowers and flattering flags of different hues. In the evening of the inaugural day the city dwellers viewed a spectacular display of fireworks in the vicinity of the project. The Hatirjheel-Begunbari project stretches from Sonargaon Hotel all the way to Banasree.

Patenga beach

                                                               

             Patenga beach

 

Patenga is a popular tourist spot. The beach is very close to the Bangladesh Naval Academy of the Bangladesh Navy and Shah Amanat International Airport. Its width is narrow and swimming in the seas is not recommended. Part of the seashore is built-up with concrete walls, and large blocks of stones have been laid to prevent erosion. During the 1990s, a host of restaurants and kiosks sprouted out around the beach area. Lighting of the area has enhanced the security aspect of visiting at night.
Nowadays, alcohol peddling is very common at the beach. Vendors from the city sell their ice creams, cold drinks and food to the hundreds of tourists who come to Patenga Beach. According to the local people, Patenga is the best place for delicious, mouth-watering street food at very low costs. One of the popular dishes of the food stands is the fried, spicy mud crab served with a small plate full of falafel, garnished with cucumber and onion. The beach has a wonderful cool atmosphere even at the evening, and people come to enjoy the soothing breeze. The beach is lined with massive shady palm trees and fishing boats. It also has an array of speed boats for visitors. The beach, however, is quite sandy, with a few rocky patches.


Most visitors come to Patenga Beach as it is known for having some of the most stunning sunsets and sunrises in Bangladesh.

                             Jaflong

 

Jaflong is a natural tourist spot in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. It is located in Gowainghat Upazila of Sylhet District and situated at the border between Bangladesh and the Indian state of Meghalaya. It is just below the mountain range. Jaflong is famous for its stone collections and is home of the Khasi tribe.

Geography

Jaflong is one of the most attractive tourist spots in Sylhet division. It is about 60 km from Sylhet town and takes two hours drive to reach there. Jaflong is also a scenic spot nearby amidst tea gardens and rare beauty of rolling stones from hills. It is situated besides the river Mari in the lap of Hill Khashia.

 

Stone crushing

The land grabbers occupied government khas land and reserved forestland and extracted stone by cutting small hills polluting the environment of Jaflong. They also established crushing mills on the forestland without permission from government.

Forestation program

In early 2005, Laskar Muqsudur Rahman, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Sylhet Forest Division, observed that Jaflong that he heard in his boyhood as the 'lungs' of Greater Sylhet was at stake due to on going encroachments and establishment of unauthorized stone crushing mills. He took initiatives to recover the land and establish a recreation-cum-botanical park named as 'Jaflong Green Park'. The first foundation stone for the thematic Green Park at Jaflong was laid by Laskar Muqsudur Rahman, Deputy Conservator of Forests in 2005 with the cooperation of local forest staffs led by Forest Ranger Mohammad Ali. Nonetheless, at the inception it was a challenging task due to local conflicts and procedural constraints. The forestation program in Jaflong Green Park has been started under supervision of the joint forces, Jaflong Foundation and Forest Department. They have jointly taken up the forestation program with about 100 hectares of grabbed land. Under the forestation program, various types of trees, including hybrid Akash-moni, are being planted in the park to maintain ecological balance.