Play fields allowed to be used in non-school hours: Maken

Stating that he received a letter from the Urban Development Minister, granting permission to local children to use school's play fields during the non-school hours, Maken said, "Yesterday I have received a letter from Kamal Nath giving a green signal to our suggestion that the local kids should be allowed to use school play fields during non-school hours. And I thank him for that."

Maken also said that he has written letters to the Chief Ministers of all the states in the country to implement such a thing in their respective states as well.

"I have urged all the Chief Ministers to try and seek the same permission and implement the same as we have done it in Delhi," said Maken.

Last week, Maken had written a letter to Kamal Nath seeking permission to local children within the radius of 3kms for using school playgrounds during the non-school hours.

"The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has given land, including space for play fields to numerous schools in the capital. It will be pertinent to mention here that there is enormous difference between the amount charged by the DDA for the portion of land given for the school building and the portion allotted for play field," Maken said in a letter to Nath.

"While the land for school building is allotted on perpetual lease at relatively higher payable costs, the land for play fields is alloted on temporary basis on payment of nominal ground rent.

"In case of a few schools the DDA has also, through its allotment deeds, made it compulsory for some schools to allow the play fields portion to be used by the local children during non-school hours as well," he added. (MORE)