Khilwat ground turns parking lot

Hyderabad: Khilwat Ground in the Old City, once famous for hockey and football, has been turned into a parking lot. The ground once had a park in the middle but now has been shrunken to a triangular space.

The GHMC has constructed a community hall which is used for indoor games. There is a power substation, and a disused milk vending  unit there.

Mr Mohd Farooq, secretary, City College Old Boys (CCOB) Cricket Association, said that about 40 years ago, locals used to gather at the ground to hear the news on radio.

“There was a round room, where people of the locality gathered. At 5 pm, a man from the Municipal Corporation come with a big radio and switched it on in the room,” he said. People used to walk in the park as they waited for the radio, or to discuss the news afterwards.

Now, he said local shoppers and tourists were parking their vehicles on the ground. “Because of this we are unable to use the ground for sports,” Mr Farooq said.

Ms Sarwath Sughra said, “We had raised the issue during Prajavani last year. With the intervention of Deputy Mayor Baba Fasiuddin, the parking of vehicles was stopped for a while. It has started again.” She said neither the traffic police nor the GHMC was taking action against it. “We want to use the ground for walking,” Ms Sughra said.

Noble Cricket Academy coach Dr Faheemuddin Khaja?  said many schools were paying Rs10,000 and to the GHMC to use the ground. Though schools were bringing their children to the ground,  they could not make optimum use of it due to its condition.