Photo: BSS

By Md Aynal Haque

RAJSHAHI, June 28, 2026 (BSS) - Even a decade ago, as the afternoon light softened, neighborhoods across Rajshahi city used to echo with the sound of football, the thud of cricket balls, and the cheers of teenagers. 

That vibrancy is now gradually going silent. Amid towering concrete buildings and the traffic jams of battery-run auto-rickshaws, children and teenagers have nowhere left to run. 

As the jungle of concrete rises higher into the sky, children's dreams of playing sink lower. The number of playgrounds was already limited. A large portion of what does exist is unfit for play. Some are overtaken by infrastructure, others by encroachment.
 
Where there were once playgrounds, huge buildings now stand. In some places, there are warehouses for construction materials, in others, sections fenced off with tin sheets. 

As a result, the city's children, teenagers, and youth are being deprived of normal opportunities for sports. Instead of sweating it out on a field, they are growing used to a life confined within four walls.

They are becoming excessively dependent on smartphones and the internet. This is hampering their physical and mental development.

 Urban planners have long said that a certain amount of open green space and playgrounds is essential for a healthy city. 

But planned open spaces have now become almost a luxury. High-rise buildings have gone up rapidly, yet adequate space for children and teenagers to play has not been ensured.
 
Meanwhile, amid the crisis of playgrounds, artificial turf fields are gaining popularity among Rajshahi's youth and sports lovers. 

But because this facility is quite expensive, it remains out of reach for children from ordinary middle-class or lower-middle-class families.
 
Stakeholders say that over the past 12 years, opportunities to play on most of Rajshahi city's large open fields have been shut down. 

Encroachment and, in some cases, private development projects have created this situation.
 
Shyamol's Field in the city's Mirzapur area was once a major playground, especially for children and teenagers. But due to encroachment and the construction of houses nearby, it has shrunk and become completely unfit for play.
 
The same fate has befallen the Betar Field in the Kajla area. Once one of the city's largest open spaces, it now has no room left for children to even set foot, due to government afforestation programs and encroachment by various institutions. 

The situation is the same in two upscale areas of the city, Upashahar and Padma Residential. Children and teenagers used to play in open spaces there, but now high-rise buildings are being constructed.
 
Rais Uddin Ahmed Babu, general secretary of Boikali Sangha, said houses have been built in some places. In other places, government institutions have built structures on the fields under their control. 

Besides, in the fields that are still open to everyone, fairs and various events take up most of the time during winter. As a result, the shortage of playgrounds in Rajshahi has become severe.

Because of the field shortage, the popularity of 'artificial grounds' or 'turf' is rising rapidly in the city to meet the demand of youth and sports enthusiasts. To play there for one to two hours, people have to spend three to six thousand taka.

Rajshahi District Sports Officer Jahangir Hossain sees the growth of these commercial artificial turfs as positive. 

He said that at least a modern alternative for sports is being created for the city's youth, keeping them engaged in athletics. That is positive. There is no policy on this yet. "We will talk about ensuring that everyone can get a chance to play for a minimal fee."

Due to the lack of playgrounds, addiction to technology and devices is increasing. Children and teenagers are becoming overly dependent on smartphones and the internet. They are frequently organizing e-sports tournaments like Free Fire and PUBG in Rajshahi. Parents are worried about the growing addiction to online games.

Khorshed Alam of the Bhadra area said tournaments used to be held on playgrounds in different neighborhoods. Now they don't happen. 

As a result, children, teenagers, and youth often get together in groups to organize E-sports tournaments like Free Fire or PUBG. Doing this costs a lot of money.
 
Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner Kazi Shahidul Islam said there is no alternative to playgrounds for the healthy physical and mental development of children and teenagers. 

The present government has taken initiatives to protect playgrounds and create new ones, aiming to restore a recreational atmosphere for children and teenagers in every upazila.