Historic Bahadur Shah Park in Old Dhaka Transformed into Commercial Fair Under Guise of Tree Exhibition
Photo Collected
The historic Bahadur Shah Park in Old Dhaka has been transformed into a sprawling commercial marketplace, effectively concealing the public space behind rows of bamboo structures, plastic tarpaulins, and a wide array of retail stalls. While visitors might mistake the site for a commercial fair, the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) officially sanctioned the area for a “tree fair.”
The ten-day event, titled “Sabuj Ananda Mela 2026,” is scheduled to run from August 6 to 16. DSCC records indicate that the permit was granted to leaders of the Jagannath University unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal. Despite the official designation of a tree fair, a site inspection revealed that only one stall was dedicated to plants. Instead, the park is filled with vendors selling clothing, jewelry, household utensils, toys, and an assortment of street food, including kebabs, momos, and ice cream.
Management of the site is being overseen by Md. Roni, a resident of Azimpur, who stated that permission was secured for 60 stalls, 33 of which are currently operational. Merchants report paying a daily rent of 3,000 taka per stall. With 33 stalls currently active, the daily revenue totals 99,000 taka, which would climb to 990,000 taka over the ten-day period. Should all 60 approved stalls be established, the total rent collected would reach 1.8 million taka. Questions regarding the destination of these funds and the basis for the daily rental fee remain unanswered.
DSCC administrator Abdus Salam stated that the city corporation authorized only a tree fair. He warned that if any other activities were being conducted, the permit would be revoked and the structures dismantled. However, Sadman Samya, a member of the Chhatra Dal unit who obtained the permit, argued that the inclusion of food and retail stalls was necessary to attract crowds after the organizers failed to secure enough plant vendors in time.
The commercialization of the park has sparked sharp criticism from local residents and urban planners. Taslima Jahan, a regular visitor, lamented the loss of one of the few open spaces available for rest and exercise in the densely populated area. Urban planning experts, including Professor Adil Muhammad Khan of Jahangirnagar University, warned that such temporary permits set dangerous precedents that risk turning parks into permanent commercial venues.
This is not the first time the historic park, once known as the Victoria Park and linked to the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, has faced such issues. Previous attempts to lease the space for food stalls were met with intense public protest, eventually leading to their removal. The current situation stands in stark contrast to recent government pledges to clear parks and playgrounds of illegal occupation, highlighting the ongoing struggle to preserve the limited green space available to the citizens of Dhaka.
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