After a long wait of 15 years, ‘Jananetri Sheikh Hasina Shishu Park’, built at Alampur in South Surma of Sylhet district, was finally launched on an experimental basis by Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) on Saturday afternoon.
At this stage, the concerned contractor will 'check' the rides installed in the park. On the first day, the public was allowed to enter the park with an entrance fee of Tk 20.
The rides were mainly checked with the visitors riding them. Those who entered the park were informed of the launch of the ‘experimental’ ride.
On the first day, the presence of people of all classes and ages in the park was low, but the gathering of students was noticeable. The students were thrilled to be able to enter the park with only 20 taka entrance fee.
Meanwhile, the entrance fee to the park was kept at Tk 20, but no fee was taken for the experimental ride launch. On the first day, the visitors enjoyed the rides for free.
Notable among the rides set up at Jananetri Sheikh Hasina Shishu Park are roller coaster, magic parachute, monorail, visiting train, train, pirate ship, slippers, boats, twisters, bumper cars, fruit flying chairs, merry-go-rounds, ferris wheel, jumping frogs, etc.
Construction of the park began in 2006 at the initiative of M Saifur Rahman, the then Finance Minister and Sylhet-1 MP. Then the infrastructural work of the park including earth filling, construction of boundary wall and installation of electric substation was completed but, later the work on the park came to a standstill.
In the middle, the work of the park was abandoned for about 8 years. Then in 2013, Ariful Haque Chowdhury, the then SCC Mayor took the initiative to open the park. Different types of rides were then brought from China. In 2017, the work of installing rides and establishing electricity connection started.
Local Awami League leaders and activists proposed to name the park after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the concerned ministry also agreed to this. On that pretext the park has been finally launched experimentally after 15 years.