"I was preparing to give off my best here, but after such a gruelling journey, I doubt if I can live up to  expectations," Nisha, an under-14 shotputter, said, speaking to DHNS in a dimly-lit second-floor room in a city school.
Nisha, along with 35 others, were forced to travel to Kolkata in the general compartment of the Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express. The experience of the 48-member under-17 squad was no better.
"We were told almost at the eleventh hour that tickets were not confirmed in the Bangalore City-Guwahati Express and we should manage on our own. I am here because it's a national meet and I've to prove myself," said Zejah, a discus thrower.
"We are not happy with what has happened with the boys and girls. Before departure, we had asked the parents whether they were keen to send their children as tickets were not confirmed. The parents agreed to send their children in the interest of the state," team manager Raghavan pointed out.
Meanwhile, Kumar Naik, Commissioner of Public Instruction, Government of Karnataka, has condemned the laxity on the part of the officials and promised to initiate action against those responsible. "First of all, this should not have happened at all. This calls for stringent action and I am initiating the necessary measures in this regard," Naik told the DHNS over telephone from Bangalore.