JAMMU: Left with little administrative staff for control at the ground level, the State Sports Council has virtually forced the trainee players to prepare the fields themselves before regular practice sessions.
In one such glaring example, the trainees at the only regular and functional kabaddi coaching centre of the State at Green Field grounds were made to remove grass from the playing arena so as to make it worth practice. Since junior players were busy clearing the field off unwanted grass, those senior boys were marking the ground for the week-end matches among the trainees of different age groups.
“Otherwise the job of ground staff, the practice fields at most of the coaching centers either remained unprepared or made worth training by the trainees themselves,” on being contacted said a coach posted at MA Stadium, here. It has been learnt reliably that as many as three grounds men have been assigned with the duties to maintain the Green Field ground by the Sports Council. And, to train the kabaddi players, the autonomous sports body has posted two coaches there.
In view of lack of administrative staff with the Sports Council, the Green Field ground and Shastri Nagar play field as also K K Hakhu Hockey Stadium are under the direct control of the Divisional Officer (Sports Officer), Jammu, Rajan Sharma.
“How a single officer can justify such a huge responsibility of looking after the whole Jammu Province with additional burden of three active stadias within the city. The Sports Officer already has other administrative jobs in hand at the divisional office, so such negligence at the ground level was bound to happen,” pleading anonymity, said a senior manager of the Sports Council.
In fact, the wrong policy decisions taken in the recent past left the State Sports Council with little administrative staff, especially those managerial positions at the stadium level.
With the result, the left out individuals have been over burdened that too with little resources at their disposal. Meanwhile, informed sources told that besides the Sports Officer, the Manager MA Stadium, Ravi Singh has also been given the additional charge of Indoor Complex and may be a couple of districts. Similarly, Manager Mini Stadium, Parade, Ashok Singh has been assigned the duties to look after football ground at GGM Science College and Swimming Pool at MA Stadium in addition to his original duties.
Revealing more facts, the sources informed that Sports Council in an international arrangement had promoted senior coaches at the managerial positions with a pre-condition to provide coaching in their respective disciplines. Unfortunately, those at the helm of affair revert these individuals to their original positions (coaches) even as the arrangement was a success. Reverting them to coaching assignments after remaining officer for such a long time hurt these coaches and now they are a dejected lot.