Tragedy exposes poor sports infra in state: Punjab CM

Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann and Haryana Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Gaurav Gautam on Thursday offered condolences to the family of national basketball player Hardik Rathee (16), who died after a basketball pole collapsed on him at Yuva Sports Club in Lakhan Majra village here.

Both leaders visited the basketball court.

Calling the incident a disgrace, Mann said the sports fraternity was in deep shock. He said it was unfortunate that villagers had repeatedly complained about the poor condition of the court, but no one paid attention. “The Haryana Government must take responsibility for this negligence and a member of the bereaved family should be given a government job and appropriate compensation. This tragic accident has exposed the deteriorating sports infrastructure in Haryana,” he said, adding that the Union Sports Ministry should seek reports from all states on the current state of sports grounds to ensure that such incidents did not recur.

He said even as India was preparing to host the Commonwealth Games, poor infrastructure was causing the loss of young sports talent. “More than 47 players from this village have represented the country in national and international level tournaments, yet the Haryana Government failed to provide proper facilities in its playground, leading to this tragedy. It is shameful that though funds had been released for the ground’s repair, not a single penny had been spent,” he claimed.

Mann also expressed profound grief over the death of another player, Aman (15), who died in a similar manner at Bahadurgarh.

Meanwhile, expressing grief, Gaurav Gautam said: “The government is taking steps to ensure the safety of athletes. Officials responsible for the incident have been suspended.

The safety of athletes is the responsibility of the government and the Sports Department. Over the past 10 years, the government has spent nearly Rs 600 crore on the maintenance of stadiums and sports grounds under the department."

He said currently, Rs 150 crore had been allocated to the Public Works Department for the maintenance of stadiums. Additionally, Rs 18 crore had been approved for the upkeep of Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex in Rohtak. "The government is committed to making every ground safe to prevent such incidents in the future,” he added.

Sports champions selling tea in Punjab: Gautam

Chandigarh: Addressing a press conference, state Sports Minister Gaurav Gautam  Gautam said Haryana was offering 3% quota to sportspersons in jobs, while in Punjab, despite making promises, nothing was being offered. Reacting to the Punjab CM's comments, he said: “Football champions, fencing champions in Punjab are selling tea or have opened small shops to make a living. The Punjab Government is not doing justice to the state’s youth, but in Haryana, they have come to politicise the issue,” he said.

“Punjab youth are affected by drug addiction. Cash awards to sports players in Punjab have not been disbursed. Coming and offering condolences is fine, but do not issue statements,” he said.