In recent times, Haryana has been the cradle of sport in India. Producing Olympic medallists such as Sushil Kumar has only legitimised their status as one of the country’s most sport friendly states. However, a recent survey conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) revealed several infrastructural problems within the sporting blueprint.
In the report targeting financial year 2014/15, it stated that there were “several deficiencies which were having an adverse affect to the state of sport in the country.” In a joint survey conducted with the help of the Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry, 71 % of stadiums in the North Indian state didn’t meet the basic requirements needed for sport to flourish.
Six districts, which included Jhajjar, Rohtak, Bhiwani, Yamunanagar, Fatehabad and Ambala were put under the scanner, after regular complaints from athletes in the region. Apart from mini-stadiums, several Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Khel Parisars (RGGKP) were also found unfit and bumpy for sport to be practiced.
In a shocking revelation, 15 % of stadiums were inhabited by grazing livestock, and 24 % were used as agricultural waste dumps. Apart from these misdemeanours, basic equipment for participation in sport such as Basketball, football, badminton and weightlifting were present in only 47 % of the stadiums.
Electricity was also another major issue, with 32 of them not being able to generate power. Out of a sample size of 34 stadiums, 27 didn’t have water accessibility and 28 of them didn’t have any bathrooms.
High tension electricity lines passed over six of these stadiums, with the report stating a ‘major risk to life’ with anyone in its vicinity. Despite 24 tubewells being installed last year, 21 of them were found dysfunctional with little or no water present.
Despite a rich sporting heritage, the facts revealed by the latest survey have raised questions over the state’s sporting governance.
