Leave our recreational land alone

 THE acquisition of sports and recreational land in the National Capital District by commercial interests has been brought to the fore recently. 

The Nomads Cricket ground, a field used by the city’s cricket association to run its lower division and junior competitions, will no longer have that distinction thanks to a developer who has taken ownership of this piece of land along Waigani Drive, situated between the new Laguna Hotel and the Carpenters Group building. 

The erection of a three-meter high fence of metal sheeting and the daily entry and exit of large earth-moving vehicles indicates that the developer has obtained the necessary clearances from the state and municipal authority to begin the construction phase of its project. 

It is unclear at this stage whether the developer has also acquired the field below Nomads, which has been referred to as Steamships or Steamies over the years. 

Whatever the case may be, answers are needed to explain this troubling course of events. 

The worrying question is who from the Lands and Physical Planning Department authorised this and why? Additionally, why hasn’t the National Capital District Commission stepped in to query the sale seeing that it has cost the city another of its precious open spaces the public can use for recreational purposes particularly sports. 

Have all the checks and balances been met? Sports Minister Justin Tkatchenko, who is overseeing the building of venues for the Pacific Games as well as the acquisition by the state of various fields and venues previously held in trust, has voiced his concern over Nomads. 

The Moresby South MP, warned those obtaining land through dubious or otherwise questionable means, that he would take the matter up with the Lands Department and the National Capital District Commission  and if need be he was prepared to go to court. 

Tkatchenko as the minister responsible for sports and all its aspects has vowed to protect public areas, especially designated sports fields from being claimed and transformed for other uses. 

We command Tkatchenko for his stance and hope he follows through with his warning with fear or favour. 

Some areas of landed once thought to be designated for public use but have been slowly but surely taken over by businesses are the Jack Pidik Park off the Five Mile round about and the vacant land extending to the Sione Kami Church boundary, and the Unagi Park land (the northern portions) at Gordon. 

These parks have, in recent years fallen into private hands. These companies have wasted little time putting up fences and going about their operations without the slightest regret for the impact of removing sports fields and open spaces might have on the surrounding communities. 

Even with the redevelopment of several sports venues in the city for next year’s Pacific Games, the need for grassroots venues and ample areas for recreation for the public cannot be underplayed. 

If the local city authority thinks the new Pacific Games venues and facilities will fill the void left by the disappearance of the city’s smaller public field then they have not done their homework. 

These venues are free entry and cost little to nothing for codes to use to run their competitions. 

If this opportunity is taken away or sports are restricted from freely using them then that can only have a detrimental effect on the youth that play on them. 

A lot has been said about the use of sports to carry public awareness messages on health, gender violence, corruption, sanitation, safety and any number of issues that are relevant to Papua New Guinea society. 

These messages are not just disseminated at major tournaments at big venues but more often than not at smaller grounds where the grassroots hold play regularly. 

Taking away venues and slowly squeezing sports to fewer and fewer options will not serve the greater good of the community, at least 

from a recreational point of view. 

If the Government does not move decisively on this issue then little by little the people of NCD will see their open spaces, parks and fields encroached on and taken by people who have little interest in sports and the recreational well being of the public but more in turning a profit at the expense of the people.