Moved by a Tangail village’s self-funded playground, State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque has announced that the ministry will purchase the adjoining 60 decimals and gift it to the villagers.

Residents of Babupur village in Delduar upazila pooled donations to buy 59 decimals of land for 3,068,000 taka, with landowner Iqbal Hossain Sujon donating one more decimal to make it 60 decimals for a village playground.

Babupur, home to about 3,500 people in more than 700 families, had no permanent field. Children played on fallow paddy land after harvest, but that ended once cultivation resumed.

To get a permanent playground for the children, the villagers donated funds, with contributions ranging from 200 taka to 10,000 taka per person. Local sports figure Khorshed Alam and entrepreneur S M Iqbal Mahmud led the drive after a community meeting. 

The land was handed over on October 29, and the ground was inaugurated with a national flag-raising ceremony.

After the story appeared on social media, Aminul Haque contacted the deputy commissioner and the upazila executive officer. He praised the effort and decided to stand by the villagers.

“The villagers’ spontaneous initiative has set a different example in our sports arena,” the state minister said in a statement. “The government and the ministry always want to encourage such positive, self-driven work.”

The minister has summoned the DC, the UNO and village representatives to the National Sports Council (NSC)on November 1. He will make a formal announcement and honour those involved.