Wednesday, 05 July 2023 | Mishansa Bisht | DEHRADUN
Dehradun has been grappling with the shortage of open space to be used as playgrounds by the children and the youngsters. As they long for spaces to engage in physical activities and social interaction, the lack of quality playgrounds in the city has been worrying parents and community members. The parents aver that this has been begetting obesity aside from mental health complications in the growing children.
Dehradun experiencing the rapid urbanisation and population growth, the open spaces still left here are being fast converted into commercial and residential areas. Subsequently, areas where children could play are perishing, posing serious health issues for the upcoming generation. This is what is forcing them towards digital instruments and mobiles, computers and televisions, crippling their mental growth and negatively impacting their physical abilities. They get engaged in playing games on their mobiles to spend time as they are left with no other option,
Expressing deep concern over the matter, a parent and sportsperson Tribhuwan Bisht said that there are limited options available for the children to play freely, exploring their physical abilities. “There are some playgrounds but they are in shambles with the equipment broken. This is a frustrating situation for the children who aspire to be players,” he added.
Besides, in some cases, the playgrounds happen to be far-off from the houses of many of the children and the youngsters. Hence, they are not accessible to them on a daily basis.
A young sports enthusiast Ajay Chauhan said that the fields and playgrounds which are in good condition are either privately owned or used only on paid membership. “The membership fees are too high for the lower income group families. Besides, playgrounds are fast ceasing to be playgrounds as people are using them for purposes other than pure sports like learning driving, practising yoga and the like, leaving little space for us to play freely,” he said.
Asked to comment on the matter, Dehradun-based clinical psychologist Pratima Sharma said that a healthy mind is housed in a healthy body. “As a matter of fact, there can be no mental fitness without physical fitness. The growing gaming addiction and overuse of smartphones can be attributed to the unavailability of playgrounds in the city. This is a serious health issue which should be addressed with urgency,” she added.
