Taking away playgrounds will bereft youth of physical fitness: Khurshid Alam

Srinagar, Sep 3: J&K Peoples Democratic Party General Secretary Mohammad Khurshid Alam has said there was “a systematic assault on Srinagar’s community playfields,” warning that depriving young people of recreational spaces is nothing short of pushing them toward a dangerous edge.

Alam flagged proposals to take over major playgrounds across the city, including Badiwudar-Eidgah, Chan Mohalla Chattabal, NIT Bagat and Chanapora. He said that vast stretches of these spaces are being eyed for sand extraction and other non-sporting activities, which, in his words, “choke the lungs of the city’s youth.”

“This is a sorry state of affairs from the present dispensation,” Alam said. “At a time when our young generation is already vulnerable to the scourge of drug abuse, the government is stripping them of the very spaces where they can channel their energy into healthy pursuits. It is nothing short of pushing them against the wall.” Alam accused the administration of ignoring the social fallout of such decisions, arguing that playfields are not mere patches of land.