Friday, 20 OCTOBER 2023 | PNS | NAINITAL
Hearing the matter of children facing problems in playing sports due to lack of grounds and space, the Uttarakhand High Court has advised that the Lower Mall Road in Nainital should be closed to traffic from 6 AM to 8:30 AM so that as many citizens and players as possible can walk and exercise on this space. The court stated that presently this road is closed to traffic from 6 AM to 7:30 AM to enable people to walk freely while suggesting that the time should be extended by an hour. The district and police administration should enable flow of traffic from both directions on the Upper Mall Road during this time period while also publicising the closure of vehicular traffic on the Lower Mall Road during the morning so that more people come out to walk on the said road during the morning. The division bench of chief justice Vipin Sanghi and justice Rakesh Thapliyal stated this while hearing the matter taken up in the form of a public interest litigation by the court.
It will be recalled that based on a video of cricketer Virat Kohli, some children had written a letter to the Uttarakhand HC chief justice stating that they lacked playgrounds and faced problems while playing on the streets. The court took cognisance of this letter and took up the matter in the form of a PIL. In this case, the HC has in the past issued notices and sought replies from the Ministry of Sports, Uttarakhand Sports director and Urban Development secretary. The court has asked the government if there is any policy under the Khelo India programme to facilitate playgrounds for children to ensure their proper physical development. The court observed that in absence of playgrounds, the children tend to spend more time on mobile phones and computers which is affecting their physical and mental development.
