Editorial
Children deprived of playground
Those occupying must give it back
The only playground for children in Khilgaon, a densely populated area in the city, and popularly known as Para Pachar Math, has long been a bone of contention between various authorities and influential people of the locality. According to the local people, this is the only open ground that can essentially serve as a playground for their children. For a long time the ground was surrounded by rickshaw garages, various makeshift workshops and stores. Despite the risk factors involved due to the presence of these establishments, children of the locality continued to visit the ground and entertained themselves in whatever way they could. Now the playground has been taken over by Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defense Party (VDP) and made off limits to anyone else. It is interesting to note that both the agencies occupied the playground by raising permanent fences all around it despite the fact that an injunction was issued by a High Court bench on February 2, 2006, forbidding "raising of any type of construction or causing landscape transformer". Not only that, when some people of the locality arrived at the site, they were apparently assaulted and some among them were even detained. We find the whole incident not only condemnable but also unfortunate. This city essentially has mutated into a jungle of concrete structures. The city dwellers hardly have any access to any playgrounds or parks worthy of use. As a consequence, the worst sufferers are our children. As it is, there is hardly anything by way of clean, healthy outdoor entertainment, particularly for those who live in such localities and come from families belonging to moderate and lower income groups. Surely these children have the right to go to an open space, run around and breathe in the air freely just like anyone else. It is only proper that they be allowed to grow up as healthy members of our coming generation. We would, therefore, urge the administration to take all necessary measures for the playground in question to be vacated so that the children of the locality can get back to their natural pursuit.
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