Hatirjheel Bengali pronunciation: , English also known as Hatirjheel-Begunbari) is a
large area situated at the heart of the capital city of Bangladesh, Dhaka. This
was mainly created for public transportation. It was establish in office on January 2, 2013.
Hatirjheel made transportation much easier for the people living near Tejgaon, Gulshan,
Badda, Rampura, Mouchak and Maghbazar. It was made possible by the Bangladesh
army, 'Special Works Organization' (SWO). This project was primarily created
for accumulating rainwater, for preventing flood, reducing the rate of impure
water, and above all for moderating traffic jams. It has taken 5 years to
complete the project. 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).
The entire
Hatirjheel is methodically 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 a person from all over the Bangladesh comes to see this
amazing place. Boat rides are available and facilities are there for small
scale family picnics. At night, lights of different colors illuminate the
entire Hatirjheel, especially on the bridges. The area has been delightfully
decorated with flowering shrubs and colorful 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.
Legend has
it that the elephants of Dhaka’s Pilkhana used to take bath in these wetlands –
this is how it is called 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 Pilkhana.
Hatirjheel
is located at the center of the capital, Dhaka. It has 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.[3] 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.
