Basketball tragedies trigger calls for infra overhaul

In the wake of two recent tragic basketball pole collapse incidents in Rohtak and Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar), the state government has transferred the Principal Secretary and the Director of the Sports Department besides placing the Rohtak District Sports Officer under suspension. However, former sportspersons from various disciplines believe these measures fall short.

They assert that an immediate overhauling of the existing sports infrastructure is essential to assess ground realities and initiate necessary corrective steps. Terming the incidents a “result of gross negligence” by the authorities concerned, they want a dedicated policy for the sports infrastructure development and maintenance to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Hardik Rathee (16), a national-level basketball player from Lakhan Majra village in Rohtak district, lost his life when a rusted basketball pole collapsed on him during practice at the village stadium on November 25. Just 48 hours earlier, another budding player, Aman (15), had met the same fate while practicing at Brigadier Hoshiar Singh Stadium in Bahadurgarh town (Jhajjar).

Jagmati Sangwan, Haryana’s first woman Bhim Awardee and former international volleyball player, said the two unfortunate incidents had not only shaken the entire sports fraternity across the state but have also exposed the “poor” maintenance of sports infrastructure and surveillance systems.

“Both incidents should serve as lessons and prompt immediate reality checks of all sports infrastructure and equipment at stadiums across the state. Once the inspection reports are received, strict corrective action must follow to strengthen infrastructure and rectify deficiencies. While District Sports Officers and coaches are duty-bound to conduct regular inspections of the stadiums and equipment, what is required goes far beyond routine checks,” she said.

Jagmati further noted that although the state government had implemented a sports policy focused on promoting sports, providing facilities to budding players, and offering jobs and cash rewards to achievers, an exclusive policy was needed for the upkeep and continuous monitoring of the sports infrastructure.

“The policy should clearly define guidelines for the regular maintenance of sports infrastructure, specify expiry timelines for the sports equipment, and set deadlines for their replacement. This will ensure that only safe and reliable equipment is available to the budding players. A foolproof policy for the upkeep of sports infrastructure across the state, regular monitoring, timely purchase of equipment etc has now become the need of the hour to prevent future tragedies caused by infrastructure failures,” she added.

Dr Rajender Prasad Garg, former Director (Sports), at Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, and an international wrestling referee, said that regular physical inspection of sports equipment and infrastructure was essential to prevent further tragedies, hence it should be done across the state without any delay.

“The state government must now issue clear guidelines or frame a dedicated policy to ensure proper installation, maintenance and timely replacement of equipment at sports stadiums and training centres. The installation agency or the coach/ official concerned should be held responsible for inspecting equipment at least once every six months and preparing a report accordingly. Moreover, the players should also remain mindful of the quality and condition of the equipment they use. They must avoid practicing with any equipment that appears to be in poor condition,” Garg added.

Dalel Singh, Arjuna awardee and former director (Sports) at Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, said both basketball incidents were deeply disturbing and unfortunate, but they had served as a wake-up call to take preventive measures and stop such tragedies from recurring.

“First, it must be ensured that only high-quality equipment is installed. An expert committee, including coaches, should be constituted at both district and subdivisional levels to conduct physical inspections of equipment and infrastructure in their respective areas. Every district has several former international players from various disciplines, and they too should be involved in these inspection committees and other sports-related services,” Singh added.