Shishu Park
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Shishu Park (Bengali: ঢাকা শিশু পার্ক) is the only public sector children's amusement park in Shahbag, Dhaka, Bangladesh.[1] Established in 1979 on 15-acre of land, it is the first children's amusement park in Bangladesh.[2][3][1] Established as a profit making venture by Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, the government-owned tourism promotion agency in Bangladesh, it is maintained by Dhaka City Corporation as its only entertainment park since 1983.[1][3] The 12 rides rides of the park include including a toy train, a merry-go-round and a number of wheel-based rides. Bangladesh Air Force donated a fighter jet in 1992.[2] The cheapest of all entertainment parks in Dhaka, charging BDT 8.00 for entry and 6.00 for each ride, it draws about 6,000 visitors a day. During the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays the number of visitors reach up to 350 thousands.[1] The City Corporation earns about BDT 200 million annually from the park.[3] The park is open Monday through Thursday and Saturday from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm. On Fridays, it is open from 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm.[2]
Due to lack of maintenance the rides have deteriorated in condition. As of 2007, a City Corporation plan to revamp the park for BDT 9 billion waits for approval of the Ministry for Local Government and Rural Development.[1][2][3] The plan includes an expansion of the area to 19 acres and adding 16 new rides besides reinstalling the old rides.[3]
