PERNEM: North Goa’s Pernem taluka may be most famous for its artists, but it has also produced several sportsmen. Ironically, however, the taluka lacks a full-fledged ground or sports complex, and the sole indoor stadium that was built at a cost of Rs 40 crore has been given out on lease.
Apart from school and college grounds, only football fields exist in Tuem, Morjim, Mandrem and Chopdem, all of which lie within the jurisdiction of the Mandrem constituency.
The Pernem taluka consists of 20 village panchayats and a municipality. Although there is an open space in every village that is used by the local residents, none has been developed or equipped sufficiently for sportspeople to play full-fledged matches.
The Sawalwada sports ground, which was recently converted into an indoor stadium, was where inter-school level and even state level matches used to be conducted. Sports lovers would also practice here. But all of this stopped when the ground was converted into an indoor stadium.
To add insult to injury, the building was never inaugurated or used for any sports activity. It only served as a Covid centre during the pandemic and was later leased out to a private company for 11 months.
A few other grounds that were developed years back are, meanwhile, crying for attention, while some that were supposed to be developed – such as the one at Warkhand – have yet to be worked upon.
“There are just four grounds in the Pernem taluka, and all of these are concentrated in the Mandrem constituency, leaving Pernem constituency high and dry. There is not a single ground having proper facilities in the Pernem constituency, which is unfortunate because several youths are either forced to compromise on their interest in sports or travel far distances to other grounds for training and practice,” a sports teacher from Pernem said.
“A few years ago, a foundation stone was laid for the development of the ground at Warkhand, but nothing has been done till date,” he added.
