Anantnag, October 28: Youth of Semthan village in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district complained about the non-availability of playground in their area due to which they are not able to participate in sports activities.
A group of youth in Semthan village told Kashmir Images that no space is available in their village for playing sports. “We have appealed and requested the concerned officials several times to demarcate a piece of land for playground in their area but to no avail. We are leading a confined life which is taking a heavy toll on our mental and physical health,” they added.
They said that although a piece of land, adjacent to National Highway near Sangam area, is lying vacant in their area which can be converted into a playground but due to the government apathy it is not being utilized for the said purpose. “Earlier the land was sanctioned for a trauma hospital but later the hospital was shifted to Bijbehara and now the land has been occupied by the forest department for storing timber,” they added.
One of the youth from the village, Zahoor Ahmad, said that there is not a single piece of land available in their area where they can play sports as a result they are being forced to play games in public properties.
When contacted Deputy Commissioner Anantnag he said: “If there is any land available in the area, we will help the youth to convert it into a playground, otherwise, we will also try to make some land available for the purpose.”
