JOIN US An 11-year-old girl has started breaking down the wall of a park near her house in Sheikh Sarai Phase 1 due to inaction of the government. She has written “sorry” on the wall for breaking it.
She had earlier given a 15-day ultimatum to the Prime Minister and the chief minister in her letter that if the park near her house was not opened for children to play, a group of children will start breaking down the wall surrounding the park.
Unfortunately, none of the other children who had given their word of helping her came forward on Wednesday when she started breaking the wall from one side.
“Most of them have gone out to meet relatives since it’s Dussehra. But I do not care if anybody comes or not. I will break it on my own no matter how long it takes,” said Pragya, while attempting to make a dent in the wall with a five-and-a-half-kg hammer.
Her father was giving her a small hammer to begin with, but she fought with him to get a heavier one. “I believe this will help me break it faster,” she said.
She plans to continue with this act till the children’s demands are met.
“Pragya is being taught governance in her class. But despite writing letters to the residents’ welfare association, the municipal corporation, Prime Minister’s Office and the chief minister’s office, nothing has been done to hear the children’s plea. What example of bad governance are these children being exposed to?” said Indu Singh, her father.
Pragya had earlier collected signatures from 20 children demanding an opening in the park as they had to scale the fence to enter the park, despite a small gate that mostly remains open throughout the day.
Rakesh Bhardwaj, president of Sheikh Sarai Phase 1 RWA, said the signatures were forged by Pragya. “I spoke to some parents and they said their children signed it without any knowledge about what the compliant said. We had to close the park to ensure safety of children and prevent theft,” he said.
‘Adults must intervene’
When some families were approached, the children admitted that they had signed the paper willingly. But parents said children should not be involved in such matters as parents should come forward and fight for their rights.
Singh said the park was closed with an agreement that if there will be a need to make openings in the future, it will be done. There have been incidents of children being kidnapped and men drinking alcohol in evening in the park.
After Pragya’s efforts to break the wall, the RWA has decided to hold a meeting to intervene in the matter.