The bright lights installed about three months ago around AK Block park were meant to solve a problem but keeping them alight all night has brought with it another set of problems that has left the block residents’ association office-bearers scratching their heads.
Residents of houses around the park are up in arms about the inconveniences they are facing ever since the illuminated ground has started attracting youths from outside the block who play in the park well past their bedtime.
After receiving their complaints earlier this week, the lights were kept turned off. Then an electrician was called to separate the connections of individual lights so that each could be switched on and off separately. On Wednesday night, just one light was kept on.
“We don’t mind them playing but their games were going on till midnight. The noise was disturbing the tranquillity of our neighbourhood that comprises many senior citizens who like to turn in early. These youths went to the extent of waking people up to retrieve their ball. The residents have written to me seeking a remedy,” said Aritra Ranjan Sen, general secretary of the block association.
The incident took place on Monday, when the football the boys were playing with entered the premises of a house. “The boys had the gumption to ring our bell at 10.30pm and ask for the ball!” says a resident living opposite the park. “I was about to go to bed and told them I’d return the ball the next day but they started shaking the grilles of our gate violently and even got ready to jump over it and retrieve the ball themselves. I was forced to look for the ball and return it to them and they played till 1am that night.”
The resident is afraid of being quoted after receiving threats from these youths.
He also recalled how on Monday a ball hit a child, missing his eye by a whisker. “When cornered, the boys showed no remorse and said they had asked kids not to play while they were in the field. When will our children play then? After the youths leave at midnight? Besides, there is no end to the outsiders who play in the park. One group enters as soon as another leaves,” says the senior citizen.
Another resident staying next to the park, Tapati Biswas, is worried about safety too. “Our windows have been smashed by their balls countless times and we can no longer sit in the balcony. We don’t even know who these youths are. They enter our premises on the pretext of retrieving balls but what if one of them stays back on the sly?” asks Biswas, also a senior citizen.
Light or dark
“The unlit park used to attract couples who often got cosy, making it uncomfortable for residents to stroll in the park in the evening. So we had approached Krishnadi who arranged for the lights,” said Sen.
Mayor Krishna Chakraborty, who is also the local councillor, points out that the corporation had illuminated several parks, including AK Park, before the election on receiving complaints of unlawful activities being carried out after sunset.
“If the ground is free anyone can come to play. I have installed iron nets around the ground after people complained of balls being hit out of the park. If the residents want the lights to be switched off early it would save our electricity bills. But if any unsavoury incident takes place under cover of darkness who will take the responsibility then? They are welcome to approach us once they decide what they want to do,” Chakraborty told The Telegraph Salt Lake on Wednesday.
Lofted shots that clear the 15ft high nets are landing 20-25 ft away, reaching the premises of the houses across the road surrounding the park, Sen said. “We will keep an eye on whether the couples are coming back. If they do we will have to think about switching on all the lights again later,” he added.
Additional reporting by Debasmita Bhattacharjee
Should lights stay on the entire night in block parks? Write to The Telegraph Salt Lake, 6 Prafulla Sarkar Street, Calcutta 700001 or email to saltlake@abp.in