No room for recreation in North Chennai

CHENNAI: Climbing up a towering jungle gym, swishing down a slide, cricket-fever coupled with squeals of laughter piercing through the air — all these and much more form play ground experiences that give flight to a child’s imagination. But for youngsters in pockets of North Chennai, ugly turf-wars and inadequate facilities in playgrounds make those experiences remain a distant dream.About a month ago, two groups of youths from Old Washermanpet and Clive Battery area clashed at the Corporation playground in Old Washermanpet near RSRM (Raja Sir Ramasamy Mudhaliar) Hospital over the right to play cricket on the turf, says A Manimaran, a resident of Clive Battery area, popularly known as Rave.“Even the Corporation gym in that playground is out of limits for teenagers who live here because a few youngsters of Old Washermanpet feel we are encroaching on their rights,” says P Anand, another resident, who declares that the Corporation should build a gym in the locality so that he can fulfill his dream of becoming a ‘body-builder’.Children like the 12-year-old R Kishore and 13-year-old Nanda Kumar, who reside in Clive Battery area, have no option but to cross a dangerous turning point at the junction of Rajaji Salai and Ibrahim Sahib Salai, on which container lorries ply day-in and day-out, to access the roadside park. But some parents are afraid to let their wards play in the park as there have been many accidents in the recent past where container lorries have overturned on the road, adds Anand.Moreover, as a result of overcrowding in the Corporation playground, the parking lot of the Secretariat also turns into a cricket field for children from Old Washermanpet and Royapuram on Sunday evenings, says K Durairaj, a resident of Old Washermanpet.According to the Corporation officials, Zone 1 to Zone 5 are classified as North Chennai. As far as playgrounds are concerned, Zone1 (Tondiarpet) has 21 playgrounds, Zone 2 (Basin bridge) has 3 playgrounds, Zone 3 (Pulianthope) has 26 playgrounds, Zone 4 (Ayanavaram) has 29 playgrounds and Zone 5 (Kilpauk) has 46 playgrounds. The complete dearth of playgrounds in Zone 2 that comprises Washermanpet, Royapuram, Beach Station and George Town is evident.On monitoring of unruly behaviour and clashes between rival groups of youth, S Selvaraj, Stadium Officer of the Corporation, says that police protection will be provided in the playgrounds on registration of complaints in the zonal offices. Inadequate facilities in some of the playgrounds also plague children here. The playground in Ambedkar Nagar, Ayanavaram presents a desolate picture — what is left is a heap of rubble that stands testimony to its neglected state. “The swing collapsed a few months ago and the slide is in a broken condition. Children in our area don’t even use this playground. They are forced to play in the narrow streets,” says P Moses, a resident of 2nd street, Ambedkar Nagar.With few playgrounds catering to their recreational activities, these children are left with no option but to tough it out on the streets. Inevitably, their physical fitness is a casualty.