Sihishu Park gets costlier for children
The capital’s lone city corporation run Shishu Park at Shahbagh has become costlier for children after private investors were allowed to install a boat ride and a 9D Interactive Rider, without inviting tenders. Exorbitant fees charged by the owners of the two new facilities made Shishu Park prohibitive for families with limited means, said parents accompanying children. The Magic Boat and 9D Interactive Rider were installed in the Shishu Park in August. Dhaka South City Corporation allowed installation of the facilities without any bidding. Naraynganj businessman Abdul Motaleb installed and owns the lone ‘magic boat’ while D-Box Digital Technology, a private company, installed and owns the 9D Interactive Rider. They each pay Tk 72,000 per month as rent to the DSCC. Space is being readied for a dozen new rides, expected to be installed, said Shishu Park personnel.
Each ticket for a five-minute ride by 24-seat magic boat costs Tk 40. For witnessing a 9D action film for 15 minutes, sitting in a box for six kids, a ticket costs Tk 60. 9D action movie, a simulator action ride, is designed to overwhelm the senses of the viewers with stimulating and exciting 3D animated movies with surround sound, coupled with active motion and dramatic effects such as rain, fog, lightning, wind, snow, touch, feel and more. At least 3,000 visitors, kids and their parents, visit Shishu Park each day, said DSCC superintendent engineer Lieutenant Colonel Md Habibur Rahman. The operators achieved little success in drawing visitors to magic boat. The cost of the ticket discourage visitors to avail the rides. Performance of 9D Interactive Rider fluctuates in drawing visitors. D-Box Digital Technology supervisor Nazrul Islam told New Age that despite poor business the operators had no plans to wind up. In sharp contrast, Shishu Park’s joy train and merry go round are crow pullers. Habibur Rahman said that the DSCC allowed the two private parties to install the new facilities on a temporary basis and as a test case.
He said that there was no violation of the rules. He said that both the parties agreed to leave Shishu Park whenever DSCC asks them. Visitors raise objections to playing of Hindi songs on loud speakers by the magic boat operators to draw riders. Naziba Sharmin, a housewife from Mirpur, said, the only result was sound pollution. She said that but for the pressure from her lone kid she would never buy ticket for the magic boat ride spending Tk 40. It would be much better if the government installed the new facilities, said visitor Taufiq Ahmed. Life spans of several of 12 rides installed at different times since 1979 expired 18 years ago, said DSCC engineer Nuruzzaman. There has been no replacements despite their huge popularity among the children.
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