Master plan a must to ensure playgrounds for children: IPD 

Institute for Planning and Development (IPD), an association of planners, has urged the government to take the necessary initiative to ensure open space or playgrounds for all, including children and adolescents, across the country. 

Leaders of the urban planners' platform also thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her instruction of retaining Tetultala field in the capital's Dhanmondi area as open space or a playground for children of the locality.

The IPD stressed taking initiative to create local playgrounds on unused government lands and khas lands, said a press release.

The urban planners put forward 10 recommendations for recreational grounds for all in city and rural areas around the country.

The key recommendations of the Institute for Planning and Development are:

- Form a committee consisting of local people's representatives for management of the playgrounds, clearly identifying existing playgrounds in urban areas.

- Existing playgrounds occupied by clubs or anyone else should be immediately vacated and made available and open to locals. In no way can a playground be assigned to a club or any other special group.

- Initiative should be taken to create playgrounds on a master plan and detailed area plan in order to ensure the right to play for children within walking distance of each ward and locality.

- In urban areas, necessary steps should be taken to create necessary playgrounds with land rearrangement and transfer of land rights. 

Under the "Amar Gram Amar Shohor" project and the ongoing "upazila town master plan", the government should take necessary steps to ensure an adequate number of playgrounds for children in upazila towns and rural areas. 

Recently, the government has withdrawn the decision to build Kalabagan Police Station on the Tetultala playground in the face of resistance from environmentalists and locals.