A day after the tragic death of an 11-year-old boy after the entrance gate of a playground at Malleshwaram, popularly known as Kulla Park, fell on him, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) constituted a three-member committee to probe the incident. The civic body is also mulling over forming a dedicated cell for maintenance of playgrounds in the city.
Eleven-year-old Niranjan, a resident of Vivekananda Block slum, Dattatreya Temple Street, had tried to pull open the main gate when it fell on him and crushed him. The incident occurred at 4 p.m. on Sunday when he and his 13-year-old friend met to play at the ground.
BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath said: “I have formed a committee consisting of chief engineer (lakes), chief engineer (technical vigilance cell under Commissioner), and chief engineer (quality check). I have directed the team to submit a report before September 30.” The BBMP will also suspend the executive engineer and assistant executive engineer.
The BBMP chief has asked the committee members to conduct a technical evaluation and carry out a quality test of the work done by collecting samples from the playground. “The team will thoroughly evaluate why the gate fell and what materials were used for the construction,” Mr. Giri Nath said
Mr. Giri Nath, talking to The Hindu, said the civic body is mulling over forming a separate header (cell) to maintain playgrounds. Unlike parks and lakes, the BBMP does not have a dedicated maintenance fund for playgrounds. The development of grounds are currently done under MLA grants or other grants.
Mr. Giri Nath further said currently, records on grounds are maintained by the State government and not by the BBMP. This is one of the reasons as to why the civic body does not have data on the number of grounds under it. Creating a separate head would streamline this problem, he said.
Dilapidated State
Activists and residents in the city say several playgrounds are in a dilapidated state due to neglect by BBMP. The compound walls and gates of many playgrounds are broken, posing a threat to children who play in these spaces, they say.
For instance, at Hombegowda Nagar (ward number 145) in Chickpet Assembly segment, construction work that commenced about one-and-a-half year ago has not been completed yet. Iron bars used for construction lie unattended apart from debris. Amresh S., civic activist, said children here are playing with their lives. Despite residents urging the BBMP to complete the work, no action has been taken, he said.
In Kengeri, although the playground was handed over to the BBMP, only fencing was done without any development. After dusk, it is unsafe for children to play as many illegal activities take place, said Ramani S., resident of Kengeri. “Not just this playground, many parks in the vicinity are in a poor State and gates are on the verge of collapse. Unless BBMP fixes it immediately, it’s a ticking time bomb,” he added.
Published - September 23, 2024 10:18 pm IST
