Needed: sporting facilities for public

METROPOINT

Now that summer days are here, boys and young men of all ages come out by the hundreds to try and pass the long summer evenings doing some form of exercise like cycling, going to the gym and so on, but the most popular pastime is playing cricket, especially for those who cannot afford the other activities.

On any road that is reasonably straight and smooth, teams of enthusiastic cricketers can be seen bowling, batting and scoring runs oblivious of the danger of passing vehicles.

With worn out bats, crooked stumps and using a tennis ball, they play till visibility becomes low, sometimes playing under a streetlight, though this option is now mostly not there because of loadshedding. It is really a regrettable fact that in this country, all entertainment facilities cater to the well to do sections of society – clubs with different degrees of exclusivity; expensive gyms with the latest equipment and playing fields reserved for the influential. A few gyms housed in inadequate premises with outdated equipment do exist here and there — they charge five hundred rupees for the month — and these are used by young boys who dream of becoming Mr Pakistan but they are not exactly places where such dreams come true. There are also parks in some areas of the cities which cater for the less privileged but these are often neglected and not up to the mark.

It must be said though that if the authorities are negligent on this score, the public that frequents these parks is also to blame for their sorry state. Most people do not respect the rules — cursory though they may be — and often misuse the facilities, for instance grown men using swings meant for children. This happens because they are not accustomed to park culture and there is no one to enforce the regulations and stop destructive behaviour.

The government should spend some percentage of its ‘development’ funds on providing sporting and recreation facilities to those who do not have access them — facilities where young men can let off steam and indulge in healthy activities instead of loitering about the markets or playing on the roads.