Playgrounds in the city, the few that remain, are being used for other purposes, in the process depriving children of play spaces.
A few years ago, the government woke up to the shortage of playgrounds and contemplated a scheme to bring children back to the playgrounds in the city. But nothing has happened in that direction. And, the city’s children have no choice but to play on the streets.
Take the corporation-owned playground in Shanthinagar.
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The gym lies dismantled in a corner while the playground is “let out” for political and community functions.
Not only the children in the surrounding localities, but also students from two private schools — SN English Medium School and Wisdom International School — in the area used to play here.
With the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) not maintaining the space, the children have been forced out of the playground.
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The headmistress of SN English Medium School said that children from her institution regularly used the playground. When the BBMP rents out the playground, the children are forced to play in the school’s corridors, she said.
A spokesperson of Wisdom International School said the institution books the playground for sports day. “Though we use the playground only for a couple of hours, we pay Rs. 2,500 for it,” the spokesperson said.
Prabhakaran N., a resident, said that he has been playing in the public playground for the past 15 years.
“There have been times when we had to return home because the playground had been rented out for some function or the other,” he said.
It is similar at Malleswaram playgrounds. Even this play area is rented out by the BBMP on a regular basis for various community and political events.
As if that was not enough, the playground is sometimes used as parking space by BBMP garbage trucks. The young sports enthusiasts who use these playgrounds complain about the lack of basic amenities such as drinking water and toilets.
According to Sunil Yadav, an advocate, it is illegal to rent out these spaces for purposes other than what they are meant for. “These spaces are not meant to be used as a means to generate income, unless notified,” he added.
He said that the use of the space for purposes other than what it is meant for is in violation of the zoning pattern and land use as indicated in the Revised Master Plan 2015 and the Parks, Fields and Open Spaces Act.
While a senior BBMP official admitted that playgrounds were being rented out for various functions, BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah said that this issue had not come to his notice.
“The BBMP cannot be renting out playgrounds and denying the space for children and youth. I will look into it and issue a direction putting an end to this practice,” he said.