Sir,
This has reference to the news item ‘Children take up fight for playground in Kashmir town’ DE Feb 19.
It is very heartening to note that small children had to approach the higher authorities to get the land vacated from land mafia, and to use it for playing sports.
But at the same time, it brings us face to face with a hard reality that land mafia is active almost in every part of the State.
These people have grabbed even nallahs which accommodate flood waters during monsoons. Not only nallahs, even ponds, and grazing fields are grabbed, and then converted into commercial complexes.
There is no doubt that land is shrinking day by day particularly in big cities and towns, as people from rural areas migrate towards urban areas in search of employment and better living conditions.
Tbe children find it quite difficult to find vacant land where they could play games.
The Sports Ministry in the State had expressed its desire to constructed stadia in almost every town of the State, but nothing that has happened so far.
Yours etc…
Hyder Ali
Srinagar