Council's reasoning irrational
On Tin Kwong Road, there is a huge grass football pitch managed by the Urban Council and next to it there is a nice little playground equipped with swing sets, a seesaw and the like. These facilities are a refreshing delight in the middle of our crowded city, however very surprisingly, they are locked up more often than not.
My inquiry at the Urban Council offices failed to produce any plausible answers.
According to first a Ms Au and later a Ms Chan, the football pitch is rented to sports organisations only for matches and competitions.
Since the Urban Council took over the pitch from the military 11/2 years ago, four to five sports organisations have been using it on a fairly regular basis, up to 120 hours a month.
The adjacent playground is reserved for children of the users.
I asked if the council would consider opening the playground to the general public on non-user days.
Sorry, no. Ms Chan said there was another playground nearby on Sheung Shing Street, which was a good alternative.
She added that the football pitch playground was not a safe one as there were no safety mats and the place had been left uncared for for quite a while. Yet, I saw a 'Wet Paint' sign on a swing as recently as December 29.
I asked if the council would upgrade the safety measures. Ms Chan said the council was only managing the pitch temporarily and thus there would not be a budget for this.
The council is concerned about the the safety of the general public. What about the safety of the football pitch users' children. While their fathers are competing in the football field, those kids are allowed to jump and run in the playground which is unsafe and unfit for the enjoyment of the general public! Why are children of the general public more vulnerable to potential dangers in the playground than kids of the football pitch users? A logical solution is to close the playground to all until it is rendered foolproof. Discrimination against any group should be the last thing any citizen would want to witness in the run-up to 1997.
I appreciate the efforts of the Urban Council to provide playgrounds for our children, but I must point out the irony and irrationality of Ms Chan's suggestion of the Sheung Shing Street Playground.
Is it the council's intention for children to use some playgrounds only and stay away from others? Are resources fully made use of? How does the council justify the restricted use of the football pitch and its playground by only four to five organisations? BRENDA WONG Kowloon
