BENGALURU: Even as resident welfare associations of Indiranagar have been expressing fear that they may lose the only playground marked for Indiranagar Stage-1 and Stage-2, and BBMP proposing a stadium at a cost of Rs 6.5 crore, the bhoomi puja (ground-breaking ceremony) for the stadium was held on Thursday.
However, Snehal R clarified that the playground will not lose its characteristic, and people and children will still have free access. She said the project is an upgrade of the existing basketball court.
Congress leader Abhilash Reddy, supporting the claims, said news about enclosing the ground, and poor children being denied entry, is false. “The basketball court of Indiranagar will get a facelift. The court will have a synthetic floor, it will have new seating arrangements. There is no question of the entire playground being covered,” he said.
Recently, the resident welfare association — I Change Indiranagar — petitioned the zonal commissioner, stating that this is the only open ground and if it is turned into a covered stadium, it will deny access to poor, middle and low income groups, and schoolchildren in surrounding areas who use the playground for physical activity.
The residents say that in 2017, when attempts were made to convert the ground into a stadium, a stay was obtained.
