Tutikandi playground turns dumping ground, children lose one of Shimla’s few open spaces
Tutikandi playground turns dumping ground, children lose one of Shimla’s few open spaces
Shimla, Sept 4,
A playground at Tutikandi in Shimla, falling within the ward represented by Deputy Mayor Una Kaushal, has been reduced to an unplayable patch of muddy ground allegedly due to unchecked dumping of muck by the Shimla Municipal Corporation.
The ground, which was regularly used by children and local residents for playing football and other outdoor activities, is now being used for dumping muck and parking municipal dumpers. Residents allege that the continued dumping has covered large portions of the playground with mud, making it virtually unfit for children.
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A video of the site shows the extent of the damage, with muck spread across the playing area and municipal vehicles parked on the ground. The situation has raised concerns among residents at a time when Shimla already faces an acute shortage of open spaces and playgrounds for children.
Local resident Pratap Thakur said the ground was earlier used by children to play football every day. “We used to play football here regularly, but after muck started being dumped on the ground, it has become full of mud and is no longer fit for playing,” he said.
Residents questioned why one of the few available open spaces in the densely populated city was being allowed to deteriorate instead of being protected and maintained as a recreational facility.
They said Shimla has very limited playgrounds and open areas, particularly for children, and allowing such spaces to be used for dumping and parking defeats the very purpose for which they are meant.
The residents have urged the Shimla Municipal Corporation to immediately stop dumping muck at the site, remove the accumulated debris and restore the playground so that children can once again use it.
The issue also highlights the larger problem of shrinking public spaces in Shimla, where indiscriminate digging, dumping and construction-related activities are increasingly putting pressure on the city’s already scarce open areas.
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