Several hundred local people and environmental activists staged a demonstration in front of Senpara Parbata Govt Primary School at Mirpur in the city yesterday demanding steps to protect the playground oftheschool.

They said that some influential people of the area have been using the playground as a venue of various types of fair for the last eight months. As a result, schoolchildren are being deprived of open space required for their play. At the same time, their academic activities are also being hampered.

The demonstrators held a rally and formed a human chain with a call for the administration to take step to remove stalls from the playground.

A two-month fair ended recently and the influential quarter has again started preparing to hold another fair on die playground.

Speakers at the rally said this playground is the lone open space in this densely populated area.

"We cannot play here for a long time because of fairs," said Rakib, a 14-year-old boy, who joined the demonstration.

The fairs also contribute to massive traffic congestion and create noise pollution in the area.

Environmental activists Abu Naser Khan, Pijush Kanti Saha, Khalilur Rahman and Ikma Hossain spoke at the rally. Save the Environment Movement, Peace and some local sport organisations took part in the demonstration.