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Where will children play?

Dwoha Chowdhury, Sylhet
Like most children of his age, Tafim Hossain loves to play cricket He dreams of becoming a batsman and one day play for the national team.
So, the 14-year-old keeps on pesteringhis father to take him to the Shahi Eidgah field near home in Sylhet city to play with his fiends.
But the field remains occupied with various events such as trade fairs and rallies, leaving almost little to no space for playing.
The other playground close to his residence is Kalapathar field. Not only the field has become a garbage destination, structures have also been built encroaching upon it.
"I sometimes play cricket on the road," said Tafim. "My mother gets angry as it's quite risky, but what other options do I have?"
Like Tafim, most children in Sylhet city undergo similar experiences as unplanned urbanisation is turning the once green city into a concrete jungle, leaving no open spaces.
Nowadays, the sight of children playing or running around freely under the open sky has become rare as most of the fields are either occupied or being used to hold fairs or rallies.
As a result, children are being deprived of a healthy life, which is crucial for their mental and physical growth, according to experts. Similarly, many residents complained that authorities' indifference is behind the prevailingsituation.
"A city needs 12 percent of its land reserved as open space, but Sylhet city has only 4 to 5 percent at best if we include the
remaining ever-shrinking playgrounds," said Prof Dr Jahir Bin Alam of the civil and environmental engineering department at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.
In addition, he said, "Sylhet is an earthquake prone area because of the nearby Dauki Fault Line. So, the city needs more open spaces..."
There used to be around 17 big fields in the city. This correspondent found that access to four fields (Police Lines, Primary Teachers' Training, Koyedir Math and Golf Club) have been restricted by the authorities concerned, six (Majumdar Bari, Badam Bagicha, Charar Par, Rajbari, Laldighirpar Gachtola and Jilkadar Ali) have been grabbed completely, two (MC College and Osmani Medical College) are in deplorable conditions and three (Shahi Eidgah, Alia Madrasa and Registrar Office) are being used for non-sporting purposes.
The other two fields (Kalapathar and Amberkhana) are still used for playing, but those have narrowed down significantly due to urban sprawl.
Shahi Eidgah field, which had been declared Sheikh Russel Mini Stadium recently, is now being used as a venue for Sylhet International Trade Fair from October 26.
On the other hand, almost half of the Amberkhana Colony field has been grabbed and buildings were constructed upon it.
Supriyo Deb, a government employee and former cricket player, said, "It's hard to find an open field in the city anymore."
Munir Helal, a lawyer at Sylhet court, said, "Children are being forced to remain confined to their home. Even adults don’t get a chance to walk in the afternoon or morning due to a lack of open space."
Faruque Mahmud Chowdhury, president of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan), Sylhet chapter, said, "It's crucial that decision-makers prioritise the needs and aspirations of children in the process of executing any development scheme."
"What we need is a master plan for the city," he stressed.
The master plan for Sylhet city was developed in 2006-07 and gazetted in 2011. But after seven years of not implementing it, this year, Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) has sent the plan to the authorities concerned for review.
Contacted, SCC Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury said, “We know the importance of open spaces and fields in the city."
About encroachment and urban sprawl, he said, "We are planning to take necessary legal steps to protect the playgrounds."
Also, he added, "Awareness among people is a must. We are also working in this regard."