* Sports Council needs to maintain facility
Rajesh Dhar
JAMMU, Oct 27: Around 46-year old football facility in the heart of Temple City, which earlier wore a deserted look, is now grassy, smooth and picturesque, simply an asset for the footballers of this region.
The only football ground in the entire Old Jammu City, has remained neglected for years together because of the poor maintenance and misuse.
If Parade Cricket ground is Mecca for cricket enthusiasts, Mini Stadium Parade is the hub for soccer lovers.
According to the reliable sources, the man behind changing the face of this tumpy, rough and bumpy football ground is Rakesh Khanna, the organiser of prestigious Pt Prem Nath Dogra Football Tournament, who left no stone unturned in beautifying this old football ground.
Sources said that the ground had been fully grassy in 1974, but due to negligence by its custodians, the soccer facility had become sandy, dusty and injury prone for the budding footballers.
Courtesy MLA Rajesh Gupta and other such facilitators, football lover Rakesh Khanna, a man with a mission to rejuvenate and revive the traditional football ground in Jammu, has succeeded to achieve his goal.
“The new life to this ground has been given by MLA Rajesh Gupta and other sponsors, besides football lovers and morning walkers, who off and on contribute from their own pockets for the maintenance of the Stadium. For maintaining it properly, the ground has also been fenced,” expressed a national footballer.
Now, the million dollar question is as to will this ground be maintained in future also as it has been observed that the custodians of the ground have never been so keen to preserve the beauty of this facility.
For that matter, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir which is striving hard to raise sports infrastructure in the state, needs to serve strict instructions to the concerned authorities to maintain this soccer facility properly.
“The football enthusiasts are waiting in the wings to see Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik and his advisors, who are very keen to promote sports in nooks and corners of the State, serving directions with regard to maintenance of this football facility in Jammu,” said a Football coach.
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