Excelsior Sports Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 23: High Court has directed the Union Ministry of Youth Services and Sports to take steps and engage with the various sports bodies in the country to ensure that they are able to get the best training for sports coaches in the State.
Hearing a PIL on intensification and expansion of sports facilities and infrastructure in the State and to draft out a plan for consultation of coaches in order to facilitate the sports facilities in the State, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Rashid Ali Dar while passing the direction of Ministry of Youth Services & Sports recorded that there is no material before us which would show that the authority has even bothered to show us as to the number of optimum coaches needed in the State.
DB directed for placing before the Court the sports discipline as well as the number of coaches, both available and required before the next date of hearing.
“The respondents shall also inform this Court about the training programme which they have identified. The authorities concerned shall place before us the status of the construction and development of sports infrastructure in the status report to be filed”, DB further directed.
Meantime, Court has been informed by advocate Ateeb Kanth, that the Basketball Federation and the Badminton Association of India are willing to facilitate training of the coaches as well as the sports persons.
Vishnu Sudhakaren, Assistant Director, Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports was present in the court but was unable to inform the Court about the measures which are proposed and can be taken as had been noted in several orders since October 2018.
“It is unfortunate that despite the matter having remained pending over a year, the respondents are in a position to inform this Court about any concrete measures”, Court pointed out.
Court in this connection directed to place a proposal in this regard before the court within four weeks from today failing which Director, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Government of India has been directed to remain personally present in Court.
Court has already noted the deficiency of trained coaches in different sports in the State and has reiterated in early order about the deficiency. “We had directed the State Government to place the concrete proposal regarding identification of persons who deserve to be imparted proper training as coaches in various sports discipline”, reads today’s order.
Court on the status report filed by the State Sports Council, said the same is completely insufficient saying that the ‘modus operandi for methods and certification of coaches prevalent in neighbouring states as per the officer of Sports Council deputed for the purpose is being examined for adopted in the State of J&K’.
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