Braving a steady drizzle and gusty winds on Saturday morning, several residents of Indiranagar came out to register their protest against the proposed development of a playground in Indiarnagar 1st Stage, 4th Main, into an indoor stadium, besides accommodating a BMRCL metro office.
Schoolchildren from the nearby schools gathered at the playground in large numbers. Though many residents did not turn up at the protest, the schoolchildren seemed to be enjoying themselves in the light drizzle. They went around the playground, raising slogans. "We want our playground!" they cried in unison.
The residents have been up in arms about the proposal ever since it was announced by Bengaluru development minister K.J. George recently. Residents' welfare associations in the area, who also participated in the protest, said they were surprised when the announcement was made.
"This ground is used by students of three high schools in the vicinity, apart from children who live in the neighbourhood. There is no other playground in the area. An indoor stadium will only exclude all of these children," remarked Sundaram Praveen of I Change Indiranagar, a residents' group.
Sneha Nandihal, another resident, said that children of the neighbourhood cannot even play on the streets. "Due to rampant commercialisation, even the small bylanes witness a lot of traffic," she said.
It is not for the first time that the playground is in the middle of a storm. Barely six months ago, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had permitted a cricket coaching company to develop a pitch. However, the coaching company developed a cricket academy and was charging a hefty fee. This, residents maintained, was in violation of the Karnataka Parks, Play-Fields and Open Spaces (Preservation and Regulation) Act, 1985. The residents managed to get back their playground then.
