JOIN USSomwarpet, which holds the credit of being a hub for sports activities, is in need of a modern turf ground for the benefit of budding sports talents in the taluk.
But the proposal to lay Astroturf on the PU college playground is pending for the last six years.
Sportspersons expressed their discomfiture on the lack of amenities, despite Somwarpet taluk contributing national and international level players to the nation.
Many hockey players, who have practised on these grounds, such as B P Govind, Ganesh, Arjun Halappa, S V Sunil and Vikram Kanth have achieved big at the national and international levels.
Many budding sports talents have obtained their initial training in the playgrounds belonging to Government PU College and government lower primary school.
Hundreds of children and young sports talents practise on the ground. Summer sports camps are also held here.
Earlier, hockey, football and cricket tournaments were also held on the ground. But, as there is no facility from the concerned department to repair the ground, the organisers themselves had to shell out money to prepare the ground for tournaments.
The spectators’ gallery built on the ground 30 years ago, at a cost of Rs six lakh, has not been of much use.
The spectators could not witness the matches from the gallery as the sun rays hit the gallery directly.
The sportspersons feel that the gallery should have been built in the opposite direction to avoid sunlight. Also, the ground next to the gallery is not large enough to conduct cricket, football and hockey matches.
These drawbacks have compelled the sport tournament organisers to turn to other playgrounds.
Also, the toilets built in the gallery do not have water supply. The space below the gallery does not have doors and hence the place has turned into an abode of miscreants.
The entire place is covered with litter. The equipment in the gym nearby is also gathering dust.
A proposal by the Youth Empowerment and Sports Department, submitted to the PWD to identify 10 acres of land in the surroundings of Somwarpet to construct a 400-metre track and a stadium is lying idle.