How a children’s park vanishes in Saydabad

Once filled with children’s laughter, amusement rides, trees and open space, Saydabad Wonderland Park in the capital has now become a temporary garage for garbage trucks.

The former recreational facility, once popular with residents of Saydabad, Swamibagh, Jatrabari and surrounding areas, now holds rows of waste-carrying vehicles and mechanical equipment. Children who once visited the park had to pay entrance fees to enjoy its rides and other facilities.

Located west of the Saydabad level crossing, the site is currently being used as a temporary parking and garage facility. A recent visit found the ground uneven and muddy, with stagnant water in several places and a strong smell of waste. Some trees remain on the premises but appear neglected.

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) officials said the use of the site is temporary and the garbage trucks will be shifted once a new facility in Dhalpur is completed.

However, the corporation has yet to decide what will happen to the land after the trucks are removed. No specific decision has been taken to restore the site as a park.

Saydabad Wonderland Park was established in 2002 at the junction of Swamibagh and Saydabad. Locally known as Saydabad Park, it featured around 20 rides, including a train, voyager boat, Paratrooper, Twister, Super Chair, Flower Cup, mini train, mini cab, baby car, Merry-Go-Round and Wonder Wheel.

Local residents said the land had previously been a large pond before being filled with soil. A person named Mostafa later took the land on lease and established the amusement park.

The park’s popularity declined during construction of the Mayor Hanif Flyover. Dust, waterlogging, road disruptions and severe traffic congestion reduced visitor numbers. Residents said the park failed to regain its popularity even after the flyover opened because of poor road conditions and the deteriorating surroundings.

The park eventually closed after the lease agreement with the private operator expired.
According to local residents, DSCC began using the former park premises as a temporary parking area for garbage trucks in 2022, during the tenure of then mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh. Before that, the trucks were reportedly kept at a motor garage near the Saydabad bus terminal. Residents said they protested against the move and submitted written applications to the mayor and district administration, but the use of the site continued.

Asadul Haque, a Swamibagh resident, told The Daily Observer that the area looked completely different when the park was operational.

“Visitor numbers began falling after construction of the flyover started, and the park eventually closed. Residents later protested over the smell from the garbage trucks, but no effective change followed. Over time, people have become accustomed to the situation,” he said.

An employee at the garage, requesting anonymity, said around 100 to 150 garbage trucks usually remain at the site. Heavy traffic around Saydabad and nearby bus terminals also makes it difficult for the vehicles to enter and leave the garage, he said.

DSCC Chief Estate Officer Md Rezaul Karim said the corporation plans to remove the garbage trucks from Saydabad after completion of the Dhalpur project.

He said, however, that no decision had been taken to restore the site as a park.

“The future use of the land will be determined after the trucks are relocated, depending on the needs and priorities of the administration,” he said, adding that it could be used as a park or for another civic facility.

DSCC Transport Department Manager Golam Morshed told The Daily Observer that the Saydabad site was being used only as a temporary garage.

He said a new mechanised vehicle parking facility was being constructed on around 20 acres of WASA-owned land in Dhalpur. Nearly half of the project has been completed, and another one to one and a half years may be required, he said.

Once the new facility becomes operational, the garbage trucks will be shifted from Saydabad. Morshed added.

DSCC Supervising Engineer of the Waste Management Department Mohammad Safiullah Siddiq Bhuiyan also said the trucks were being kept at the site temporarily under the transport department.