Sports Dept moves backfire

CHANDIGARH, May 11: The recent moves of the Chandigarh Sports Department to streamline the existing system have backfired. In a recent case ...

CHANDIGARH, May 11: The recent moves of the Chandigarh Sports Department to streamline the existing system have backfired. In a recent case a swimming coach was posted at a centre where there are no trainees and even the basic facilities for swimming are totally lacking. In another case a boxing centre remained locked for weeks before the authorities woke up from deep slumber. This has resulted in discontinuity in training of the boxers. A number of boxers, however, started training at other centre.

A senior swimming coach of Sports Authority of India SAI, was posted in March at Government College, Sector 11, Swimming Pool. The pool apart from lacking in basic facilities doesn8217;t have even a life guard and what to talk of changing rooms etc. Meanwhile, all other pools in the Chandigarh began functioning in mid April. When the Sector 11 pool would start functioning only the authorities can tell better.

quot;It will take another week or so before the cleaning work would be over,quot; said a worker, this afternoon. Though, the work at the pool is going at a snail8217;s pace, the Sports Department still sounds optimistic that it would begin soon. JPS Sidhu, Joint Director Sports, when contacted a couple of days back said: quot;The pool will start in May first week.quot; But 10 days have already past. The swimming coach, however, was not available for comments.

In the second incident, SAI boxing coach Balkar Singh, who was posted at Sector 23 Boxing Centre, was relieved from the Sports Department on March 31, 1998. He has been transferred to SAI Northern Centre. Another boxing coach Kuldeep Singh was transferred from Boxing Coaching Centre, Sector 42 to Sector 23, on April 1, 1998 to keep the training schedule alive. But the centre ran into rough weather since the outgoing coach did not hand over the charge to Kuldeep Singh. A few pugilists, after training without equipment for weeks together, shifted their activities to another centre.

quot;This is all politics, said a trainee, who was regular at the centre and is preparing for the forthcoming Nationals. He added, quot;since, there was no facility, we boxers started training at another centre.

It may be recalled that the centre was recently renovated and its the only training base, which can boast of having a boxing ring.

The Sports Department, however, woke up nearly after two months. A four-member committee, headed by District Sports Officer O P Puri, was constituted to look into the matter. After completing the formalities the committee handed over the charge of the centre on May 6 to Kuldeep Singh.

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In yet another incident, the department had failed to install basketball boards at Sector 46 Sports Complex. Though the acrylic boards have been purchased, these have been gathering dust for the past several months.quot;The department authorities have gone on record saying that they would make the Sector 46 Sports Complex as a quot;Model Centrequot;. Of the two courts at the centre, one has acrylic board while the other has wooden board, which is in a deplorable condition.

Meanwhile, posting of Suchha Singh, a senior swimming SAI has raised a controversy. According to a spokesman of the Chandigarh Sports Department, quot;How can we demand another swimming coach, when we don8217;t have the infrastructure to accommodate him.quot; On the other hand an official of the SAI Northern Centre says, quot;Suchha Singh has replaced Gurcharan Singh, who was working at Yoga Swimming Pool, Sector 23. During off season October to mid April Suchha Singh used to discharge the duties of the warden at Sector 42 Stadium. Incidentally, Gurcharan Singh was involved in a controversy and the SAI transferred him to Sangrur.