Till recently, the playground of Pune municipal corporation-run Indira Gandhi school in Aundh was used by residents for sporting and exercising activities. The facility of this recreation area has been affected as a wall is being constructed around the playground to restrict access to public.
The Pune municipal corporation has started building a wall around the playground, which is adjacent to PMC ward office. Dattatray Gaikwad, former mayor, has written to the PMC demanding that the work be stopped so that the playground could continue to be used by everyone.
“The playground was developed almost 30 years back by the civic administration even before the school was built,” said Gaikwad.
“The schoolchildren used it only during school hours and rest of the time, various sports are played by locals. Day and night cricket matches are also held. Even football training happens on this ground. Many people use the playground to exercise every morning and evening,” he said.
The Pune municipal corporation has also broken the jogging track that was built for the benefit of residents. On condition of anonymity, a resident of Aundh said, “It is injustice to us but no one wants to speak against this, as this is a political game between the parties to show their strength.”
Shivaji Bokhare, assistant administrative officer, PMC said, “This is not a sudden request. The school has written to us several times. The response was delayed from our end. The school in their letter has mentioned concerned over the security for children as people tend to use the playground for multiple uses like learning driving or simply using the playground to loiter in the evening. For the PMC, the security of the children presides that of residents and hence we are building the wall. We will not stop any sports activity taking place on this playground as long as residents seek our permission.”
{{/usCountry}}Shivaji Bokhare, assistant administrative officer, PMC said, “This is not a sudden request. The school has written to us several times. The response was delayed from our end. The school in their letter has mentioned concerned over the security for children as people tend to use the playground for multiple uses like learning driving or simply using the playground to loiter in the evening. For the PMC, the security of the children presides that of residents and hence we are building the wall. We will not stop any sports activity taking place on this playground as long as residents seek our permission.”
{{/usCountry}}The school authorities, despite repeated attempts to reach through phone and email, did not respond to queries.