Govt plans 1,000 new playgrounds within two months

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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered the establishment of at least one playground in every union and 1,000 new playgrounds nationwide within two months to expand sports opportunities for children and young people.

He also directed authorities to ensure at least one playground for every two to three wards in Dhaka’s two city corporations. Plans include making 40 DNCC and 90 DSCC playgrounds suitable for regular sports by December.

The government has identified 403 khas land sites in 27 districts for playground development, with proposed fields covering three to eight bighas. Sports officers will also be appointed in each upazila to oversee maintenance and activities.

The programme aims to involve around 14 lakh children in 10 sports, including football, cricket, volleyball and badminton, across 503 upazilas. Tarique Rahman is scheduled to launch it simultaneously nationwide from Khulna on November 5.

The meeting also discussed restoring occupied playgrounds, activating upazila stadiums and introducing regular sports and sports-club activities in schools. Authorities were instructed to preserve playgrounds and continue sports and cultural activities throughout the year.