05-02-2004, 01:48 AM
The illustrious and hardworking Indian sports officials have added another feather to their cap of achievements towards the advancement and service of Indian sports.
IG Stadium: Sports left in the lurch after officials ignored fire threat for 1 year
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Last year, this paper reported how Indiaâs women hockey players had to carry their laundry from one stadium to another because of a water shortage. Now, the countryâs top volleyball players and wrestlers have to shift their practice venue because the IG Indoor Stadium, where theyâve been practicing so long, has been closed on fire safety grounds â a year after officials were first alerted.
Almost a year ago â on May 29, 2003 â the Delhi High Court, while hearing a petition, had directed that all high-rises in the city should have adequate fire safety measures. And were to be sealed in case of non-compliance.
The IG Stadium falls in the high-rise category because it is above the specified height and because the structure has different levels.
Delhi Chief Fire Officer RC Sharma said his office had written several letters to the Sports Authority of India, the stadiumâs administrators, since December to avoid booking the stadium unless fire-fighting systems had been installed.
That should have provoked SAI into some action.
Yet officials, ignoring the long-term work, managed to obtain power and water from ââother sourcesââ and kept the facility open to athletes.
IG Stadium administrator Mukesh Kumar insists that they got to know about this just some months back. Ask him why SAI hadnât acted in ââsome monthsââ and he refuses to comment. The only thing he will say is that the repair work will take around ââfive to six monthsââ.
That trips lightly off an administratorâs tongue but sits hard on the sportsmen and women. The irony of the situation is that the Volleyball Federation of India had started yesterday a novel scheme to tap new talent (reported in Saturdayâs edition of this paper). The scheme, which focused on height as the primary selection factor, will lose its momentum, say volleyball officials. The girls â training for the upcoming Asian Junior Championships â now have to practice at the Nehru Stadium. That means outdoor practice, with an increased risk of injury.
It is possible that, in Olympic year, somebody will take action against the officials responsible for the tardiness. But with all eyes on the elections, and most of those in charge contesting the polls, it seems that this will be buried under the files.
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Somethings really shake my beliefs that India is moving forward, and the fact that we have one of the world's most defunct sports officials is one of them.
<!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo-->
IG Stadium: Sports left in the lurch after officials ignored fire threat for 1 year
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Last year, this paper reported how Indiaâs women hockey players had to carry their laundry from one stadium to another because of a water shortage. Now, the countryâs top volleyball players and wrestlers have to shift their practice venue because the IG Indoor Stadium, where theyâve been practicing so long, has been closed on fire safety grounds â a year after officials were first alerted.
Almost a year ago â on May 29, 2003 â the Delhi High Court, while hearing a petition, had directed that all high-rises in the city should have adequate fire safety measures. And were to be sealed in case of non-compliance.
The IG Stadium falls in the high-rise category because it is above the specified height and because the structure has different levels.
Delhi Chief Fire Officer RC Sharma said his office had written several letters to the Sports Authority of India, the stadiumâs administrators, since December to avoid booking the stadium unless fire-fighting systems had been installed.
That should have provoked SAI into some action.
Yet officials, ignoring the long-term work, managed to obtain power and water from ââother sourcesââ and kept the facility open to athletes.
IG Stadium administrator Mukesh Kumar insists that they got to know about this just some months back. Ask him why SAI hadnât acted in ââsome monthsââ and he refuses to comment. The only thing he will say is that the repair work will take around ââfive to six monthsââ.
That trips lightly off an administratorâs tongue but sits hard on the sportsmen and women. The irony of the situation is that the Volleyball Federation of India had started yesterday a novel scheme to tap new talent (reported in Saturdayâs edition of this paper). The scheme, which focused on height as the primary selection factor, will lose its momentum, say volleyball officials. The girls â training for the upcoming Asian Junior Championships â now have to practice at the Nehru Stadium. That means outdoor practice, with an increased risk of injury.
It is possible that, in Olympic year, somebody will take action against the officials responsible for the tardiness. But with all eyes on the elections, and most of those in charge contesting the polls, it seems that this will be buried under the files.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Somethings really shake my beliefs that India is moving forward, and the fact that we have one of the world's most defunct sports officials is one of them.
<!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo-->