Shrinking playgrounds deprive children of outdoor activities

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 23

It is not uncommon to see children playing on streets and less frequented roads amidst parked and moving vehicles because there are no designated playgrounds or even open spaces left for them in their vicinity.

The city does have playgrounds like Gandhi Ground and others related to individual educational institutions, but their distance from most of the localities make it difficult for small children to go there alone.

Perhaps, it is one of the reasons why a growing number of parents complain of children being more interested in computers and video games and less inclined towards physical activities.

A youngster, Avneet Singh, said, “Around a decade ago, there were more open spaces which children widely used for playing sports. Even the owners of these properties never stopped children from entering parks. But now, with most of these lands being used for construction, children today have no place to play.”

The construction of residential areas is also decreasing the number of playgrounds for children. Only three years ago, many children of the city would converge on the open land of the Improvement Trust for playing cricket or football on holidays but because most of the land has already been sold and a colony is being developed there, the children have lost the space.

Balkaran Singh Sandhu, a senior citizen, said, “If children are glued to televisions or computers, it is because we have not ensured proper playgrounds for them. Most of the parks in residential areas are too small. If the parks are large in area, there must be space earmarked for the children.” He said concerned citizens must think of the problems faced by children.