Closure looms large on West Delhi cricket nursery

NEW DELHI, July 27: Virender Sehwag is among the several prominent cricketers, who trained at the Government Boys Senior Secondary School...

NEW DELHI, July 27: Virender Sehwag is among the several prominent cricketers, who trained at the Government Boys Senior Secondary School, G Block, Vikaspuri and went on to represent their State and zones. The very ground of the school, which was once considered a nursery for cricketers in West Delhi, is now in danger of being closed down, thanks to the apathy of the state government. An office of District West (B office) of the Directorate of Education has recently been shifted to the very ground. Part of the ground is also being used as a parking lot for the Directorate and other vehicles.

Several international and national cricketers, including Chetan Sharma, Rahul Sanghvi, Pradeep Jain, Virender Sehwag, Amit Bhandari, Ravi Sehgal, Mithun Manhas, Rizwan Shamshad, Mohd Saif, Dinesh Tomar and Sandeep Dogra have appealed to the authorities to restore the ground, where hundreds of youngsters used to visit regularly for training, to its original position.

As recently as last December, the Vinoo Mankad Trophy (part of the National School Games Federaton event) tournament was held at the ground.

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In fact, the Sports Department of the Delhi Government had sanctioned Rs 9.88 lakh for construction of players’ dressing rooms, laying a turf wicket and raising galleries for the spectators. But with the shifting of the Directorate office to the ground, cricket facilities at the school have ceased to exist.

This Vikaspuri school ground used to fulfil the desires of hundreds of youngsters who used to throng the field to learn the game. Even several athletic meets of various schools in the locality used to be organised here.

With the Directorate occupying part of the ground, indications are that other wings of the government departments are likely to take over the rest of the area. And from all accounts, for the numerous athletes and aspiring cricketers it’s a closed chapter. For, the Parents Teachers Association’s meeting with the administrators recently have also not borne any fruit so far.

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