Hockey veterans demand implementation of Council’s circular in letter & spirit

RTI activist Balvinder Singh and others addressing media persons at Jammu on Thursday. -Excelsior/Rakesh
RTI activist Balvinder Singh and others addressing media persons at Jammu on Thursday. -Excelsior/Rakesh

Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 16: Hockey lovers, led by RTI activist Balvinder Singh demanded to implement J&K Sports Council’s circular regarding streamlining the functioning of the Sports Associations in letter and spirit and to conduct fresh elections of the Associations with transparent manner.
They demanded it in a press conference, held here at Press Club Jammu wherein Hockey lovers and veterans including Waryam Singh, Janak Singh, Iqbal Singh, Rajinder Singh Sudan, PP Singh and others were present.
During the press briefing, they appreciated the circular issued by the Council with the approval of LG Manoj Sinha for streamlining the functioning of the Associations and implementation of additional guidelines expecting a meaningful reform and demanded that the Council should release funds to these Associations on their performance.
They alleged that few organizers of these defunct Associations have come together to thwart this well conceived reforms by the Government under the able Administration of Lt Governor in July 2020, so that they can continue with the old system of grabbing the system by holding elections in private hotels/closed doors.
Pointing towards Hockey J&K, they also alleged that the Association has been run by a particular person/group from a particular address of its office bearer’s residence in Sector-2 Nanak Nagar for the last about 25 years. If someone goes through website of Hockey India, they find that the performance of the women team in all the three categories from the year 2016 to 2021, the teams played 42 matches, wherein they lost 37 and won only 2 matches and scored only 16 goals, whereas 257 goals were scored by the teams against them. “The same narration of the Hockey men team,” they added.
They requested Lt Governor & Advisor Farooq Khan to implement the reforms mentioned in the above said circular of the Sports Council in letter and spirit.