MC developing badminton courts under flyover for children to play

Ludhiana: As part of a pilot project, the civic body has started developing two badminton courts for children to practice. The courts are being developed under the southern bypass flyover near BRS Nagar Chowk alongside Sidhwan canal. The road leads to a railway crossing, which is closed. Nets will be installed on both sides to prevent the shuttle from falling towards the roadside and players will have space in the middle.
Such an experiment, wherein space beneath flyovers has been utilised in this manner, has been done in Navi Mumbai, Patna, Assam, Delhi and Kerala etc. MC officials said that the idea of building sports facilities under flyovers caught on over the last few years. The first such facility was set up in Indore in 2021.
In March this year, a video of young players playing cricket and basketball at a new sports facility under a flyover in Navi Mumbai went viral on social media. Officials said that they have seen such facilities and discussed it with local MLA Gurpreet Gogi, after which a plan was chalked out. They added that it would be of great use in the city, where children do not get enough places to practice sports. Confirming the move, executive engineer Surinder Singh said, “We are developing two courts primarily for badminton at two corners. If residents like, they can build more such spaces.” He also said that the court would be covered with a net on two sides for children’s safety. He added that flashlights will be provided if they find children coming to play at night. Work would be completed in a month, he said.
Meanwhile, BRS Nagar resident I P Singh said, “It is a good initiative taken by the civic body but they should keep security of children and players in mind.” Incidentally, the civic body had planned a smart vending zone under the flyover but the project was dropped because of controversy. Officials had also planned a food street here.