Youths demand kabaddi ground on vacant, underutilised site in Woraiyur

Trichy: Youths of Woraiyur have sought the Trichy corporation to facilitate a kabaddi court in a vacant and underutilised space in their locality as there are no proper playgrounds in the nearby areas.
Situated in ward 8 falling under zone V, the vacant space near Cholanpaarai Road in Pandamangalam sprawls over 5,000sqft. With their own money, local youths have installed floodlights and cleared the space as a makeshift kabaddi court.As there are no major open spaces in the residential areas, the youths are organising tournaments during temple festivals. Instead of facilitating public parks which become too expensive to maintain, the locals said that a kabaddi court would help youths to actively engage in sports and prevent the misuse of the open space.
“Elected representatives and corporation can develop the vacant site as a kabaddi court to serve as a model project. If the site was left as a vacant space, it will not benefit anyone,” K Dharmarajan, treasurer, of All India Youth Federation (AIYF), Trichy said.
Meanwhile, corporation sources said that they have received a representation to develop the vacant area as a playground for locals. “We have to study the site. Through a surveyor, we will confirm whether the site is reserved for open space,” a corporation official said.
The public contributory ‘Namakku Naame’ scheme was considered to develop the court with funding support from residents. However, locals claimed that the area being resided largely by low and middle-income group families is not financially capable of contributing.