Playgrounds minus play

Playgrounds minus play
Many corporation playgrounds don’t serve their purpose as they are either closed for renovation, subject to litigation or making space for projects like Namma Metro. Development packages apart, what is needed is responsible maintenance, finds Aarthi R
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Gone are the days when kids returned home after school, had a quick snack and rushed to the nearest playground. Poor maintenance of corporation grounds has ensured children rather stay at home and entertain themselves with less physical alternatives.
For, the sight of most of the 154 corporation grounds in East, West and South zones would make any child cringe. Weeds have taken over much of the space. A few others are home to squatters, or even venues for markets and exhibitions. Many have been converted into illegal parking lots too.
Take for instance, the Bamboo Bazaar playground near Haines Road. It is nothing but a wasteland open to trespassers. Garbage and construction debris dot its corners. Squatters, their cattle and vehicles occupy the ground at night. It also houses a makeshift workshop for tinkering and painting vehicles. The seating gallery is in bad shape and none of the 12 sodium vapour lamps are in working condition.
Surprisingly, the authorities blame it on residents of the area. “Some locals constantly damage the facilities here, making maintenance a difficult task. Our engineers lose interest due to their lack of co-operation,’’ says L R Mohan Rai, senior health inspector at BBMP’s Pulikeshinagar ward office, which is located right on the ground. It seems ironic that at a time when many resident welfare associations are fighting for new playgrounds, a few locals aren’t co-operating in maintenance of existing ones.
This ground is not the only one in such a dismal state. “There are four or five grounds in Shivajinagar, all within 5 to 10 km radius. But none of them serve their purpose,’’ says Tanvir, a resident.
The corporation ground opposite Featherlite Government High School in Pottery Town was once a popular recreational space for children of surrounding areas — Gandhigram, Bydarahalli, Williams Town, N C Colony, Wahab Garden, Chinnappa Garden, Marappa Garden and ITI Layout. However, it is now trapped in litigation and hence not maintained. In fact, an illegal slum has cropped up here. But it continues to lure youngsters like Bharath, Arogya Das, Antony and Ramesh, who play here almost everyday. This is perhaps due to the lack of a better alternative. This ground is not levelled and worst hit after a spell of rain.
“It’s just a corporation ground, but many who played football and cricket here are now part of noted clubs and the state team. We did it without basic facilities,’’ says Maran, Manager of the Gandhi Memorial Football Club.
Vinod Kumar, who plays for Karnataka Police, and Ramesh and Thyagaraj, who play for BHEL and the state teams, are said to have their origins here. “Regular maintenance will help us practice with fewer injuries,’’ Maran adds.
Glimmer of hope
According to BBMP East zone officials, the budget allocation of Rs 600 lakh for comprehensive development of playgrounds is a welcome move. Three out of four packages for this zone have already been implemented — in Ward Nos 67, 69, 70 and 71. However, they face problems like litigation and lack of cooperation for sustained maintenance.
The West zone is also handling four playground development packages worth Rs 329.28 lakh. Work under Package 1 (Rs 87.25 lakh) in Mattikere, Sanjaynagar and Malleswaram is already complete. Package 4, estimated to cost Rs 85.68 lakh, was completed at an expenditure of just Rs 24.4 lakh.
“Many grounds listed in this package were already developed. This helped us spend less than the estimate. Kakkarayanakere ground was given up for Metro work,’’ a BBMP engineer from the zone says. They propose to use the additional funds for other development works.
However, the packages under each zone cover only 20 to 27 playgrounds, while there are many more crying for immediate attention. Smaller grounds do not seem to figure on the lists.
No play, only development
The corporation ground next to Shivajinagar bus stand goes by many names like Chota Maidan and Tasker Town ground. Presently, it is of little use due to a renovation drive that has been on for over two-and-half years. Much of it is occupied by workers’ sheds.
BBMP engineers are confident of completing the 7-crore project — to convert the four acres here into a fullfledged stadium with a seating capacity of 1,200 — by March 2009. The east wing is almost complete, with cellar parking for 40 cars.