Staff Correspondent
Port Blair, Oct 22: The decision of Administrator’s Advisory Council not to merge Department of Sports with Directorate of Education, during the recent AAC meeting, has come as a rude shock to sportspersons.
The decision to bifurcate Sports from Education department was taken way Back in 1986 by the then Lt. Governor with an intent to promote Sports.
In order to establish a separate sports department, some posts from Education were transferred to Department of YAS. But the staffs continued to draw their salary from Education department.
After around 28 years, the situation has gone from bad to worse.
The same old staffs of Education department continue to work in Sports department. Instead of promoting sports, this sports directorate has become a den of corruption. To avoid transfer to outer Islands, a few staffs on diverted capacity are bent upon creating a new Directorate to ensure that the corruption never seizes to happen.
“When the decision to bifurcate was taken by a simple administrative order, why now take consensus of political bosses to merge it?” ask a sports lover of these Islands.
Everyone knows the political link of a few senior staffs working in Department of Sports. They successfully lobbied and ensured that the Sports department does not merge with Education.
The decision of AAC has served the purpose of all those involved in the mismanagement of sports. Ultimate sufferer of this decision will once again be the sportspersons. Now the old nexus of sports department and state level sports associations will work with renewed vigour to dupe the exchequer.
Former Sports Administrators and sportspersons believe that if a new sports directorate is to be established, then those on diverted capacity should be send back to Directorate of Education.
“After sending Education Department’s staffs back to the Department. The Administration should then prepare Recruitment rule for all posts, advertise it and select suitable candidate with proven track record to all the posts of new Directorate of Sports. Then only the sports in these Islands can resurrect. Else the corruption will multiply in the hands of those who are already charge sheeted in many cases,” said a former sports administrator.
