The Sports Department has decided to develop the Hathwada ground in Valpoi, which has been left unattended for several decades. Once a hub of several sports activities, the ground has now become a safe site for anti-social elements to consume alcohol. The ground had been crying for attention and will finally get a facelift.
The Hathwada ground, located in Ward 5 of the Valpoi Municipal Council, had been left unattended after it was taken up for development by the Public Works Department (building section). The works had been initiated by the Sports Department. However, except for dumping mud and levelling the ground, nothing much has been done till date, making it impossible for children to play on the ground.
“Many sports enthusiasts are turning their back towards the game of football and cricket due to dearth of facilities in Valpoi. We demanded that this ground be given a facelift, after which several games, including national games, can be hosted. This is one of the best venues to host a number of games, like football and cricket. It will also promote sports among the younger generation and draw more children to use their leisure time for sports activities,” said Sadic Beig, a Dueball coach.
Although children have started using the playground in the evenings, there is no standard infrastructure and facilities.
Speaking about the facelift for the ground, Rajesh, a local said, “It is a nice way to prevent the future generation from getting into crime. We have tried to get many youth to spend their leisure time playing football on this ground. However, the anti-social elements still find a way to get into the ground and use corners of this place for their acts.”
Meanwhile, Director of Sports and Youth Affairs, V M Prabhudessai informed that he had visited the Hathwada ground and taken stock of the situation. He said, “We have asked the Sports Authority of Goa to prepare estimates for fencing, turf, open well, bore well, changing room, stage, stand, etc. We will have a nice ground for Valpoi.”
Expressing happiness at the decision to upgrade the ground, Abdulla Khan, member of the GFDC Valpoi consultative committee, stated, “Three of our generations were deprived of this ground. We hope at least this time there will be no hurdle in completing this ground.”
