Residents dig in toes to save a public playground
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Chennai: When it comes to open spaces for children to play in north Chennai there are hardly anything left. Even the existing ones are not maintained properly. The ward 5 region of the city corporation deals with a similar problem of saving the existing open spaces particularly playgrounds.
The ward, newly merged with the corporation, is at the risk of losing a sprawling playground to a private enterprise which is claiming ownership of the land, according to the residents.
“We want our corporation to build a multi-specialty indoor stadium. This ground has been an open space for children to play for over seven decades and we will not allow any company to claim ownership,” asserted M. Kantha, a homemaker.
The complexity of the ownership of the ground dates back to the British era when Wimco was gifted the sprawling ground by the then British government. But all the documents needed to establish ownership by the civic body is lost.
“Three months back, our mayor visited the ground but nowhere in the council’s budget session or during the proceedings did the development of the ground find mention. Our representative is vocal about our demands, to convert the land into a hi-tech playground,” said K. Balasubramani, an activist of Consumer Protection Centre.
Moreover, the erstwhile region of Thiruvotriyur municipality suffers from unchecked encroachments and illegal constructions. “There are several building that violate rules but nobody asks questions.
At times, the local CMDA officials are bribed to keep them quiet,” charged M. Mala, a teacher.
Zone 1 chairman M. Thanaramesh told DC that “We will soon take action on buildings that do not comply with rules. The issue regarding the playground has been taken to the notice of the mayor. The problem will be sorted out amicably. Also, another indoor stadium has been proposed in zone 1, on 70 cents of land,” he informed.
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