Chennai: All problems and no play make this playground decrepit

CHENNAI: The playground at Basin Elephant Gate Road is no place for children. Damaged play equipment, lamp posts without bulbs and shards of glass leave the ground unusable for children and adults. 

The plastic tunnel leading to the slide is broken in two places, posing a threat of injury to children crawling their way to the slide. 

“Although the playground is in a bad state, children do come to play here from time to time,” said Solomon K, a visitor. 

Alongside the pavement, shards of broken alcohol bottles, and even mirrors, line the stretch. Without a caretaker, the gates are seldom locked at night, said local residents. This, aided by the lack of lights, has left the playground lending itself to anti-social elements who use it as their den after dark.
All five lamp posts in the playground were without bulbs and leaned dangerously to their sides, as if they were simply days away from falling on an unfortunate visitor, who might be perched on the park’s benches.

“The lamp posts were recently installed and were initially upright. One evening when I came here, I found them uprooted,” said Solomon. 

When contacted, a Corporation official said that they were in talks with the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) who had proposed to take over the piece of land in order to construct tenements. 

“We are waiting for a confirmation from their side which is expected next week. If they take over the land, the playground will be razed down to build the tenements. If not, we may take up renovation works there,” the official said.