"The western part of the Eidgah is originally designated for a park. We have instructed the PWD to build a public park with a grill-fence around it", said ASM Ismail, chief architect, Department of Architecture.

According to the design of the park there will be a grill-fenced boundary. Arboury Culture wing of the PWD will plant trees in the park where the visitors can take rest and spend their leisure time.

"The process of making a park is going on. We are waiting for funds to start the work," said PWD Executive Engineer Taslim Uddin Jamaddar.

The residents welcomed PWD's plan as their long cherished dream is going to be fulfilled. The Eidgah mosque committee has long been illegally encroaching on the open space in a bid to grab it for what they said to build 'a car park'.

"To convert the area into a park is urgent. Otherwise the mosque committee will grab the place like the eastern part," said an elderly resident of the area.

According to several sources, on June 11, 2006 Ministry of Housing and Public Works permitted the mosque committee to use 2.2 bighas of its land on the eastern side of the Eidgah under strict conditions.

One of the conditions included that other than religious structures; the mosque committee must obtain prior permission from relevant authorities if they build any other type of structures on the site. But other than the mosque and madrasa there are also a few tea stalls, a packaging workshop is currently situated inside the area.

Other than using the permitted area the mosque committee as a first step of encroachment started to build a madrasa on 7.15 katha last year. The PWD did not permit the mosque committee to use the place as it has a prior plan to make a project building there.

Being the legal authority of the area, PWD took several measures to recover the land, which included filing several complaints (GDs) with Dhanmondi police station.

"Finding involvement of powerful people in the mosque committee, the police had to retreat from the area several times," said a concerned source preferring anonymity.

Moreover, the mosque committee uses the religious sentiment whenever the police or PWD officials come forward to stop the illegal establishments, he added.