SPORTS

Game period in name only
Most government schools sans sports facilities
Monica Sharma

Chandigarh, July 29
Rusty goal posts, Congress grass and long-drawn faces of idle students sitting on the ground during the games period doing nothing, just chatting — that’s the reality for all to see in government schools situated in slums, colonies and rural areas of the city.

The story does not end here. In some schools, the equipment is just not adequate. In other words, the infrastructure is lacking. There are nets for students to play volleyball, but not enough. In at least one of the schools, the Physical Training Instructor proceeded on leave a few months back. His replacement is awaited.

All this is in sharp contrast to government model schools in the city. Says Principal of Sector 16 Government Model Senior Secondary School Ram Kumar Sharma: “Every morning, model school students are coached in at least five games including basketball, baseball, handball, football and volleyball”.

“Such training is essential not only for complete personality development, but also to provide a pleasant break to students sitting in the class for hours together”.

A visit to any of the 12 such institutes in the city will reveal that most schools do not have a playground at all.

Education Department officials deny that sports is being neglected in government schools in rural areas. A senior officer said staff was deployed specially for the maintenance of the ground, but the problem arose from the fact that the “growth is actually wild during the monsoons”. On condition of anonymity, he confessed: “Funds are not adequate for non-model schools. Sports is the first causality”.

A visit to Government High School in Colony Number 4 situated in the heart of Industrial Area reveals that there is hardly any open space for the students to exercise their muscles.

Yes, there is barren ground between the main gate and the building, but that can hardly be termed as “playground”. There is some space at the rear of the building, but that too is “useless”.

Though teachers are tight-lipped, school students reveal that most of the times they are forced to sit idle in the ground during the games period because there are no facilities.

The reality is not very different in the government school at Kaimbwala. The building is so small that there is hardly any space for the students to stretch their muscles. The story is more or less the same in the Colony Number 5 school.

Making a mark in skating
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 29
Rahul Mittal, a Class V student of Ryan International School, has made a mark in skating. In May, he participated in the National Championship in rink race 1 and road race in Kolkata. He won a gold medal in the road race 2 organised by the Chandigarh Police Department in June. In the recently held Roller Bonn Skating Championship, he emerged winner in both race 1 and rink race 2.

The Bhavan Hawk Skating Championship saw him bagging a bronze in rink race 1 and a gold in rink race 2. Rahul has also been offered the Sports Talent Scholarship by the Sports Department, Chandigarh. 

Shivalik Academy spikers honoured
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, July 29
Players from the Shivalik Volleyball Academy who won the state tournament at Nandpur in Shimla recently were honoured at Shivalik Public School Sector 41, today.

The trophy was handed over by the general secretary of the Chandigarh Volleyball Association, Vijay Singh.

It was also declared that the association and the Shivalik Volleyball Academy would soon organise a tournament jointly, which would be an annual fixture.

The Principal of Shivalik Public School, Mr D.S. Bedi, assured these bodies of all help in organising this Sunil Memorial Volleyball Tournament in October. Sunil was a student of this school.

Kochher, Darvesh share golf trophy
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 29
Dr G.S. Kochher and Dr Darvesh shared the trophy when they tied for the first place having 40 points each in the first leg of the Monsoon Golf Tournament at Forest Hill Golf and Country Club, near Chandigarh.

The day began in hot and humid conditions. But after slogging it out in such conditions, they received the trophy amid welcome showers. Forty golfers teed off for the tournament played on stableford basis.

S.D. Kaila playing in over-65-year category, won the longest drive with a shot of 257 yds and M.S. Puri won the closest to the pin title. The prizes were given away by Lt-Gen Sher Amir Singh.

Gym at school to open today
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, July 29
A multi-gymnasium centre equipped with all modern machines would be opened for sportspersons on the premises of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 33, tomorrow.

This is for the first time that any government school in the city will have this kind of gymnasium. Mr D.S. Mangat, DPI (Schools), said since the GMSSS-33 was a fast emerging as model sports school of the city, so providing such facilities would help the sportspersons a lot. He said school would also have the multi-media centre which would also be first of its kind for the government schools of the city.

Mr Virendra Singh, Adviser to the Chandigarh Administration, will inaugurate the above facilities.

ADMINISTRATION

Solar power system for traffic lights
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, July 29
The increasing number of accidents in the city seems to have impelled the UT Administration to take some steps to streamline the flow of traffic. One of them is having a back-up solar power system for the traffic lights in the city. Also the traffic lights will be set up at the Piccadilly roundabout within a month or so, though there are no immediate plans to remove the roundabout. A senior official of the UT Administration informed that the roundabout could go later. Presently, the lights would be set up in a manner that people have to go around the existing roundabout.

Traffic lights were installed at the roundabout some time ago and officials claim that the experiment was a success.

The Piccadilly roundabout being one of the busiest junctions in the city, traffic jams are quite common, especially in the mornings and evenings and the traffic moves only with the help of traffic police personnel.

According to police sources, the maximum number of accidents take place on traffic lights when the lights are non-functional due to a technical fault or power cut.

The administration has also decided to fix solar-powered systems at all traffic light points in the city. A proposal regarding this has been sent to the UT Chief Engineer. ‘‘It has also been planned to provide battery back-up to the traffic lights in the city,” the sources said.