Four years on, no bullock races at Kila Raipur sports fest

Our Correspondent

Mandi Ahmedgarh, January 4

For the fourth consecutive year, there will be no bullock cart race at Kila Raipur Rural Sports Festival, popularly known as “Mini Olympics or Rural Olympics”, scheduled to commence on February 2. Clouds of uncertainty are hovering on dog races too.

However, organisers and activists of the Bullock Cart Race Committee and sports lovers see a ray of hope in Local Bodies Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Navjot Sidhu, who had assured to get permission on terms of the Tamil Nadu government allowing ‘Jallikattu’.

Meanwhile, the Grewal Sports Association has started preparation for the mega event. Special committees have already been constituted for the sports festival.

Activists of the Bullock Cart Runners Committee, led by Balwinder Singh Grewal Jagga, regretted that the state government had failed to keep promise with the organisers of the rural sports fairs to grant permission for holding bullock cart races.

“Though the Tamil Nadu government had allowed Jallikattu, organisers of rural sports fairs in Punjab have not been accorded permission to hold bullock cart race, which is banned by the Supreme Court of India in 2014,” said Jagga. Earlier, the Local Government and Cultural Affairs Minister, Navjot Sidhu, had assured the Gill constituency legislator, Dr Kuldeep Singh Vaid, that permission would be granted before commencement of the mega event, he added.

Hopeful after TN Government’s ordinance regarding Jallikattu last year, members of the Grewal Sports Association started preparations for the event. However, the administration asked organisers not to go ahead with the event till explicit orders were received for the same.

Deepak Sharma of Lohgarh village, who owns game bullocks, said a large number of enthusiasts had been running from pillar to post to get the event restored at venues of rural sports in the border state.

Disclosing that the preparation for the rural sports fair had already been initiated, Jagga said office-bearers led by president Gursandeep Singh Sunny had been holding meetings for the success of the event.

“We are trying to impress upon ministers in the state government to get permission for the bullock race. Meanwhile, we have started preparation for other events,” he added.