Astroturf Project: Negligence of Comm/Secy YSS, Director YSS, DYSSO Poonch spoiling the future of hockey players; LG’s vision ignored; probe demanded into an incomplete project

Astroturf Project: Negligence of Comm/Secy YSS, Director YSS, DYSSO Poonch spoiling the future of hockey players; LG’s vision ignored; probe demanded into an incomplete project

SALIL RAINA

(POONCH TODAY NEWS)

POONCH: With big pomp and show, the state-of-the-art Astroturf project was inaugurated by LG Manoj Sinha on September 13, 2022, with the huge efforts of former Director Y.S.S. Salilm-Ur-Rehman and former DC Poonch Rahul Yaday (IAS), and that was a historic chapter in the 100-year-old history of Hockey Poonch. Considering the huge potential of hockey in Poonch and a better future for the next generation of hockey players, the LG’s administration fulfilled the demand of providing astroturf to the people of Poonch, but unfortunately, due to the negligence of Commissioner/Secretary Youth Services and Sports, Director Y.S.S., and DYSSO Poonch, the project is still incomplete, as just for a 65 KV transformer worth Rs 2 to 3 lacs for sprinkling regular water on the field, the players are unable to do regular practice for very long.

Earlier, the department sanctioned Rs 5.32 crore for the project, but after some work was completed, the cost was reduced to Rs 4.92 crore. Question marks were raised on the decision of the department, and as a result, the remaining portion of the project, including the sitting tiers and administrative block, has not been started by the company yet. Many turf projects were started and completed within six months in other parts of J&K UT, but the project in Poonch is still incomplete. Although the turf remained open for some days after the inauguration, department officials were seen sprinkling water directly on the turf without having a constant voltage stabilizer, and this reportedly led to a technical snag in the pumping station that needed to be thoroughly investigated as the snag had occurred within one year of starting the project. It’s a poor attitude of the Commissioner/Secretary Youth Services and Sports, Director Y.S.S., and DYSSO Poonch that the department has failed to sanction just Rs 2 to 3 lac for a 65 KVA stabilizer to enable players to do regular practice after sprinkling water on the field.  It is important to mention here that the DYSSO Poonch has become a department of some inefficient officials who have not proven their worth for years by raising the standard of various games in the district. Only during the annual sports calendar, officials are seen showing their presence on the ground. However, few officials have performed well in their respective duties and games, and their contributions have mostly been ignored.  Moreover, a few officials are reportedly attached to various offices, including the offices of Joint Director Y.S.S. and DYSSO, on questionable grounds and are seen managing everything behind the scenes. From the offices of the Director and Joint Director of Y.S.S. to DYSSO Poonch, meritorious officials were ignored, and those with strong links were given the choicest  postings and illegal attachments. Highly placed sources in the department told “POONCH TODAY” that successive DYSSO remained dummy as they were misinformed on various issues and were seen dancing to the tunes of a few officials on important issues, which in turn reduced the credibility of the department.  A few officials of the department have done a lot in various games, but they were not treated in good ways by the department. Sources said that a few blue-eyed officials always wanted to control the department with their foul intentions, and they succeeded in their hidden agenda for years by ensuring their attachment in some offices by not attending their regular duties at their places of posting for years. The Commissioner/Secretary Y.S.S., Director Y.S.S., and DYSSO Poonch have completely failed to strengthen the sports culture in this border district and were allegedly seen working with a partial frame of mind. Those officials who have proven themselves time and again were treated on bad terms, and those officials who remained close to high offices were seen enjoying themselves by all means. It’s a cause for concern for the hockey players that the pumping station has developed a technical snag, and an inquiry is needed against the DYSSO Poonch for mismanaging the turf activity. Moreover, a high-level inquiry is needed from the LG administration against the top officers of the Youth Services and Sports department for reducing the project cost from 5.32 crore to 4.92 crore and for not ensuring complete functioning of the turf and other pending construction work, as these high-ranking officials reportedly have ignored the vision of LG Manoj Sinha, which was to strengthen sports infrastructure and sports culture in every district. Sources said that the company that was awarded the project also showed its reservation to the department for reducing the cost of the project midway, and that led the company to stop the remaining work. The sorry state of affairs in the department of youth services and sports, from the Comm/Secy office to the Director Office to DYSSO Poonch, has shown the future of youth in sports is not in safe hands, and the department is required to promote complete professionalism and sports discipline among the department officials. Those officials who have shown their meritorious performances time and again in respective games should be encouraged and not discouraged under the agenda of settling personal scores. Every single official should be held accountable by the department for his or her performance on merit, and the poor performers need to be taken to task, said prominent sportspersons. Will the LGs administration inquire into the whole matter, including the incomplete turf work, even after one and a half years of inauguration?