Soccer field a victim of PM's visit

Ludhiana: Various sports organisations have voiced their serious concern over the damage caused to the lush green football grounds in Ludhiana for the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit scheduled on September 27.

The local administration has dug out the lush green turf on the football ground to erect canopies and put up a stage for the PM's function.

As if to add insult to injury to the youngsters and others who practice at the grounds, they have been debarred from entering the stadium due to the ongoing preparations for PM visit.

"We are glad about the PM visiting our town but it would have been great if the organisers had cared to keep this event somewhere else. It disturbs the practice sessions," General Secretary of Judo Association of Ludhiana OS Negi said.

However, the sole solace as viewed by a couple of sportspersons is the construction of public conveniences at the stadium.

"I think it is an opportunity to renovate the public utilities in the stadium. It will provide public conveniences, water facilities and good seats to sports person, which have been ignored and pending for the last four years," a veteran sportsperson, Ashok Gupta, said.

According to the sports fraternity for public meetings and similar functions involving VIPs in the state, they are numerous other places with ample space and playgrounds are not the only venues.

What has irritated the local soccer players is that the destruction of football turf is a matter of shame since it is the single football field of international standards in the entire Punjab state.

"The government must look at the sports person of the smallest countries, who bring Olympic medals and facilities provided to them. India stands nowhere in the sports arena. The sports persons are sentimentally attached to the football ground. The destruction will surely hurt them. There are other places to organise such events. I think sports person should protest and pressurise the government to recover the loss immediately," President, District Football Association of Ludhiana, Shivtar Bajwa said.

It is said that it would take at least six months to restore the football ground to its original form.