Children living around FE Block have a new ground to play in. The space has been carved out of a section of FE Park, adjacent to Jaidip Mukerjea Tennis Academy, and named after football legend Sailen Manna.
“This children’s park was awaiting inauguration under the name of Khela Ghar,” said Neelanjana Manna, Sailen Manna’s daughter and co-ordinator of the local ward 33. “But then on my father’s birth anniversary on September 1, Sujit Bose and Krishna Chakraborty decided to name it after my father.”
Sailen Manna Khela Ghar was inaugurated on September 11. Bose, minister and local MLA, Chakraborty, chairperson, board of administrators of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, and a host of other ward co-ordinators and officials attended the ceremony.
Minister and local MLA Sujit Bose inaugurates the corner in FE Park. Brinda Sarkar
Bose, who has a long association with Manna’s family, said Salt Lake was lucky to have had the footballer as a resident (of FD Block) till his death in 2012. “Sailen Manna gave so much to this country that it’s our honour to be able to do something for him. We also want to develop the park in front of another late footballer PK Banerjee’s house (in GD Block) in his honour,” said Bose.
But he asked residents to take responsibility for its upkeep. “It is not always possible for the corporation to maintain everything so you have to keep an eye out. If you see an adult using equipment meant for kids, for instance, step up and stop them,” he said.
Chakraborty lent her best wishes to the park and asked residents to use it maintaining Covid protocol.
The entrance to Sailen Manna Khela Ghar Brinda Sarkar
The park has an area of about 20,000sq ft and its boundary is covered with 20ft high nets. There are merry-go-rounds, swings, a slide, and circular sheds in the corners for people to sit in. The walkway around the park has benches too. Most of the playthings are on the edges of the park, allowing kids ample space to run about in the manicured lawn in the middle.
The park will be open from 6 to 8am and 3 to 6pm, and children up to the age of about 12 years are welcome to use the equipment.
Subhangi Pandit, 10, was most excited about the swing while her brother Suryansh about the slide. “So long we liked to play in EE Park as they have some play equipment but this new park is right outside our Karunamoyee home. From now on, this is where we shall come in the afternoons,” smiled Subhangi.
Neelanjana said the park cost Rs 34 to 35 lakh to build and even though it was for kids, their parents and especially grandparents would enjoy walking or sitting inside it while reminiscing about the footballer the ground is named after. “Many elderly residents of my ward, who do not even climb down the stairs of their house anymore, came for the opening just because the park is named after Sailen Manna,” she said.
The co-ordinator promised more good news after the Pujas. “As per another demand of residents, we are building a shed for about 50 people in FE Park, next to the section inaugurated today. Work will start soon and we shall open it after the Pujas,” Neelanjana said.