Denied access to playground by elders, Mumbai kids complain to cops

With the advent of reality television and X-boxes, you might have imagined middle class Indian children to be ones who refuse to step out of their homes. However, a bunch of children in suburban Mumbai are proving otherwise. This group of children aged between six to fourteen years have filed a complaint at the local police station against their housing societies which have stopped them from using common playgrounds. According to a report on Mumbai Mirror, children from three housing societies which form Gagangiri Enclave in Kalyan were incensed after the elders in the society refused to let them play in the common playground. They had initially written several letters to the society members requesting permission to play in the premises citing the problems of playing on the streets, but the elders refused to budge. [caption id=“attachment_944205” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Open spaces have become scarce for children. Agencies.[/caption] The housing complex comprises eight buildings, a huge ground and spacious community centre. Three years back the society issued a notice preventing children from playing in the ground as they wanted to turn the premises to luxurious landscaped gardens and the children could have disfigured the scrupulously manicured fields. However, since the ban was imposed, no garden has come up and the kids are reportedly left with just a small tennis court which has drains running alongside. Mumbai Mirror quotes Bhavesh Motwani, son of one of the chairmen of the societies: “This fight is not against an individual. It is a fight for our rights,” says Bhavesh. After three letters were ignored by their parents, the children complained to the cops on Tuesday. A senior inspector at the Phule Nagar police station where the children lodged the complaint said that though they had no jurisdiction on the matter they will try and talk to the adults in the society. Read the complete Mumbai Mirror story here.