PESHAWAR, Dec 16: Bad planning has defaced a playground and deprived children of the facility that has produced several national level cricket and hockey players.

The Civil Colony's playground that once covered a large green area, including a badminton court, has been serving the local residents for more than 30 years. It was one of a few green areas left in the provincial capital where children could play outdoors.

Boys of various age groups enjoyed the facility as it provided ample space for playing cricket, hockey and football simultaneously, said local residents. It had also been hosting club-level tournaments of various outdoor sports for the past several years.

The field was used by boys from the audit and postal colonies situated near the Civil Colony, housing 87 residential quarters of various types. The colony itself was set up in the late 1960s to accommodate civil officers.

However, the facility lost its charm after development planners dug up a major part of the field to execute a project involving the establishment of a high school.

"The project could have been executed anywhere else as there is no shortage of open space nearby," said Mohammed Sameer, a banker who played cricket and hockey in the ground for several years.

The school project would further diminish the size of the playing field leaving it without enough space to host cricket, hockey or football matches, said Naushad Khan, a resident of the colony.

"Our children are forced to play cricket on roads because of wrong planning on the part of the provincial government," said an employee of the provincial government. The first time the area of the ground was trimmed was five years ago when the provincial government constructed a primary school in one of its corners.

Later, a cemented water tank was erected in another corner as part of a tube-well project that further reduced the size of the playing field. Officials concerned said that the provincial chief secretary had been suspended the execution of the school project.