Port Blair, July 17: The whirlwind visits made by the new Lt. Governor to different places has also taken him to the Islands’ premier Netaji Stadium where he expressed his dissatisfaction after witnessing the condition of badminton, volleyball and billiard facilities. He issued on the spot orders to upgrade the infrastructure. So far, so good. But unfortunately that is not sufficient enough to put the sports in the islands on right track.
The present LG who is himself a keen sportsman will probably have to pay many surprise visits and go deep into what ails the games here.
The next time he may like to find out as to why there were no sporting activities undertaken by more than a dozen so-called ‘State’ Associations for the last six months? He may also like to apprise himself as to why the A&N State Sports Council whose Patron is none other than the LG himself, has not taken any action to conduct a single meeting of bye-laws committee constituted for the purpose. Why Director of Sports has failed to reconstitute AN State Sports Council for the last seven months? Why no action was initiated against the State Olympic Association for not doing its duty to monitor the so called ‘State’ Associations so as to ensure conduct of games at least during the summer vacations?
The Director of Sports, Mr. Lucas Robert who is also the Secretary of the Sports Council, may like to give all details to the new LG about the Islands’ infamous games scam and the persons behind the scam who have not only defrauded the deserving youths of the islands but have also brought a bad name to the Islands by fielding ghost players and even the entire teams to mint money for the last one decade.
The LG may like to know more details about the official of Hockey Association, who has been sent to jail for 14 days judicial remand in the case of ghost hockey team which was highlighted by the national media. Any matter reported in this regard in local Media was not given any importance by administration. The Jailed person, being merely a puppet, LG may like to know who the mastermind is and how is that the man who is evading the police continues to be at large. How is it that the so-called State Associations have been given recognition by the Sports Council knowing fully well that none of these have District units as stipulated in the National Sports Policy?
Until and unless the new LG gets to know the full details and facts about the illegal activities going on in Netaji Stadium, especially in the State Olympic Association and takes prompt action to book the real culprits, the game of fraud, forgery, impersonation and cheating will continue unabated and the LG’s visit to the Stadium will turn out to be an exercise in futility.
