Sports person denied sports wing facilities

CHANDIGARH, March 12: A budding athlete from the local Government College, Sector 11, is in troubled waters. Apart from his normal traini...

CHANDIGARH, March 12: A budding athlete from the local Government College, Sector 11, is in troubled waters. Apart from his normal training routine, he has to run from one end to the other to get sports wing facility provided to outstanding sportspersons by the Chandigarh Sports Department.

Parminder, a BA part I student of the college, who got admission under the sports quota, feels that he is being discouraged by the college authorities by not providing facilities for which he is entitled to.

“Why are they holding a grudge against me? I have been told that the diet money will be given in the month of May. How will I pay my mess dues?” he asked. Parminder, whose first passion was wrestling recently took up athletics and got fourth place in 100 and 200 metres in the Panjab University Inter-College meet held last year.

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Under the Chandigarh Sports Department norms, which sponsors sports wing seats to all colleges in the city, all the sportpersons, who are selected on the basis of merit get Rs 20 as diet money (hostelers) while non-hostelers get Rs 10 per day.

This year Government College-11 got 20 sports wing seats and four players have been given boarding and lodging facilities. The other 16 are non-hostelers. Among the hostelers Parminder is not being provided with the diet money of Rs 20 per day.

SN Singla, college principal, however, denied that there is any delay on the part of the college. He also said that no player of the college is being harassed. “ There must be some communication gap. I will check and clear the matter soon.”

The head of the physical education department, RS Duggal, also denied the allegation and said that the college is giving facilities to the player. “We have furnished the bills to the Sports Department, who is yet to clear them. When they clear, the money will be given to the mess contractor.”

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However, an official of the Sports Department said that all the bills of the Government College-11 had been cleared till December last and Parminder’s name is among the list. “Since all the bills are verified by the college principal, it is believed that the diet money is being given to the right person,” said the official.

Government College were given sports wing from September, whereas, other colleges, got in August. “It is the responsibility of the college to provide us the list as soon as possible,” said an official of the Sports Department.

Recently, the Sports Department had to send a reminder to the college principal to send the bill for the month of January.