Ahmedabad: Where does Ahmedabad go to play as privately owned open grounds, once a big draw for people living in surrounding neighbourhoods, shrink? The ones flanking the Manekbaug Society-Shyamal Crossroads road are an example. These grounds, which doubled as a cricket pitch to hundreds of children and youths for years, were recently cordoned off for development. As the concrete jungle grows, gobbling up open spaces, several privately owned sports facilities are mushrooming beyond SG Highway and SP Ring Road to cash in on the void, say urban planning experts.At these facilities, people have to shell out money to enjoy a game or two, which is not financially sustainable for many like Bopal resident and college student Shubham Shastri. He says he likes playing box cricket, but his pocket money does not allow for regular access to such facilities. It is then natural for him to miss open spaces. “Since childhood, nearby open spaces were our go-to spots for a game of cricket. A bicycle’s rear wheel would double up as stumps. A couple of bats, a ball were our cricket kits,” reminisces Shastri, adding, “Times have changed. Many of my friends play at proper grounds, paying Rs 200 to Rs 500 per game.”The GMDC ground is still a hot favourite for recreational cricket. Several teams play here simultaneously on Sundays. For others, parking lots or society lanes are their best bet.An earlier study — Project Sphoorti — by CEPT University students Mehar Kalra and Priyal Sethia under Prof Saswat Bandopadhyay showed that around 45% of the areas studied had access to sports facilities, whereas for 25% of the households surveyed, sporting facilities were a good 20-minute commute away.Experts in the city feel that interest in physical activities and sports such as cricket and football has grown, and matching infrastructure could help attract more youngsters.In some areas, newly developed public parks also have a patch of open space adjoining them. Experts feel while having something similar in saturated areas may be difficult, newer areas witnessing development could increasingly accommodate such spaces.
