Excelsior Sports Correspondent
Jammu, July 9: Shiv Sena (UBT) Jammu and Kashmir has urged the Government to fulfill its long-standing promise of providing Government jobs to outstanding sportspersons who have brought glory to the Union Territory.
Speaking during a press conference, J&K unit president Manish Sahni expressed concern over long delay (2014–2025) in appointing medal-winning athletes to promised Government posts.
Sahni said that despite an amendment to SRO 349 and the introduction of SO 12 in 2020, which guarantees 5 gazetted and 25 non-gazetted posts annually for medal winners, no athlete has been appointed since 2014. He attributed the delay to interference from non-affiliated sports bodies and urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene and release the pending selection list immediately.
Sahni also congratulated wrestlers Bania Min and Ishaq Ahmed of Jammu and Kashmir for winning gold medals at the World Police and Fire Games 2025 in Birmingham, USA. He demanded promotions and cash rewards for them from the Government and the Police Department.
Raising further concerns, Sahni criticized the six-year delay in completing the upgradation of Maulana Azad Stadium’s swimming pool into an all-weather facility. He said the incomplete work has halted training activities and forced athletes to rely on private centers, increasing their financial burden.
He also highlighted issues at the Khelo India Center of Excellence in MA Stadium, Jammu, where athletes are not being enrolled despite staff receiving high salaries. Sahni called for an investigation into the Center’s funding, questioned the vacant co-coach post and delayed salary payments to coaches.
Party leaders Sanjeev Kohli, Raj Singh, and Happy Vinod Verma were also present at the press meet.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
