The sole facility for aspiring athletes in the district is afflicted with many more problems. There is running track. No gym. Nor is there lodging for athletes coming for faraway areas in the district.
With no compound wall to protect the ground, encroachment has begun and threatens to swallow the ground, if steps to check it are not taken.
The stadium was expected to be the training hub of many aspiring sportsmen in the district, but most are in despair.
The sportsmen have complained that the playground lacks the most basic facilities, making it difficult for many sportsmen to have their daily practice sessions. The dogs are a major problem.
“The sportsmen come here every morning to practice but due to dog menace they are unable to do so”, sportsmen complained.
A few months ago. lakhs of rupees were spent for the construction of swimming pool adjacent to the stadium. An indoor stadium, scheduled to come up next to the swimming pool is taking ages to become a reality.
Athletes also express their dispair over the lack of help from elected representatives, district in-charge minister and the government officers. Promises have remained on paper and there has been no action whatsoever to resolve the problems, they say.
“Every year, on the Independence Day and the Republic Day, the playground is cleaned but then it is forgotten,” says Prashanth, a sportsman.
The district has many sportswomen as well who are being trained by senior professionals. Even they are at the receiving end of the bad playground.
“When we go to various places, looking at the kind of facilties that are provided there, even we wish to have a decent playground. The required facilties for games like cricket and kho kho needs to be provided but no-one takes the initiative to do so,” a girl athlete complains.
The district sports and youth association have written to the Sports Minister seeking basic facilities to the playground even though some traditional facilities are available.
They have submitted the request letter nothing has been done about it, sportsman K Srinivas said.
