Ahmedabad: The state govt has rejected a three-year-old proposal from Prakash School seeking permanent lease of a 4,521 sq m playground plot in Bodakdev at a token rent, effectively deterring 13 other schools in western Ahmedabad from making similar requests.Prakash School first approached authorities in 2023, seeking a permanent allotment of Final Plot No. 475 under TP Scheme 1/B. After the standing committee dismissed the proposal, the school resubmitted its request. On Aug 8, 2024, the committee forwarded it to the state govt, which has now struck it down. Notably, Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) had sold 14 plots for school construction in Bodakdev, Vejalpur, Thaltej, Ghatlodia and Memnagar. Alongside these, 14 adjacent plots were leased to the respective schools for use as playgrounds.Several conditions were attached to these leases: the land must be used only for sports and recreation, and the playground must remain open to children in the neighbourhood for a specified period each day. Since these areas merged into AMC limits in 2007, the corporation has collected annual rent based on jantri rates. Several schools have repeatedly sought permanent allotment to avoid annual payments. The matter had earlier reached Gujarat high court after complaints that schools were misusing plots and denying access to local children. The court ordered the AMC to keep playgrounds open and mandated notice boards informing parents of access rights. The plots remain crucial for children in the western zones where open spaces are scarce. An AMC source said, “The Town Planning Act clearly states that playground plots cannot be sold or permanently transferred to anyone. The law is clear, yet such requests are often placed before the standing committee. Since the committee lacks the authority to decide on permanent allotment, such matters are forwarded to the state govt.”The 14 private schools in the western area currently hold a combined total of 58,040 sq m of playground land on a leasehold basis.
