FARIDPUR — A young philanthropist self-funded the conversion of long-abandoned council land into a modern playing field at the Alfadanga upazila council headquarters in Faridpur, ending a long wait for the area to have its own sports ground.
The field formally opened with elaborate Victory Day celebrations on Dec. 16, marking the first time the upazila council grounds hosted the national holiday’s main event.
Previously, with no field of its own, the council held national-day events at the local Arifuzzaman Government High School ground. The shift this year drew widespread enthusiasm from administrators and residents, witnesses said.
The new field sits on a large low-lying plot behind the council’s old building that had lain abandoned for years, council sources said. In February 2023, then-Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Rafiqul Haque initiated a plan to fill the land and convert it into a modern sports ground, seeking help from local philanthropists, they said.
Responding to the UNO’s call, Tajminur Rahman Tuhin, a young philanthropist, took on the construction project at his own expense. Tuhin is the son of the late Alhajj Ali Ahmed Mridha, a retired headmaster, of Bidyadhar village in the upazila’s sadar union.
Tuhin, owner of Hazrat Shah Jalal Fish and Dairy Farm and chairman of Lebaz Sweater Industries Ltd., spent about a month filling the land with large quantities of soil to transform it into a flat, scenic field, sources said. It is now covered in green grass.
The new field hosted a well-organized parade and sports program on Dec. 16, the first major event held there.
“We took up this initiative on the inspiration of then-UNO Rafiqul Haque,” Tuhin said. “Seeing the people of Alfadanga gathered here today celebrating Victory Day truly feels good. This will be a permanent meeting place for everyone in the future.”
Praising the initiative, Monirul Haque Sikdar, a former principal of Alfadanga Government College, said: “The lack of a playing field at an important place like the upazila council had been a long-standing problem. Tuhin’s initiative has solved that. This kind of young initiative plays a major role in positive social change.”
Upazila administration officials and local civic leaders said the new field will also serve in the future as a venue for social, cultural and government programs alongside sports.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report