PONDA: The sports persons from Ponda have strongly objected to PWD allowing a religious association to use Bhahusaheb Bandodkar football ground at Bandora for organising a religious and cultural festival for around 20 days.
“If the ground meant for football is given frequently to religious functions for so many days then, where the budding footballers will practices their games?” the players question.
Expressing their disapproval, football players led Naresh Naik and Ponda unit of Shiv Sena chief Ravindra Talavalikar protested at football ground. They claimed that the ground will not be available for the players for more than twenty days to month as it would be fully occupied for religious activities.
The organisers of religious programmes have already taken the possession the ground and started erecting stage and pandals. Several poles have been erected on ground, which the football players feels, would damage the ground making it rough for playing.
“The PWD has given approval to use football ground for Jain religious ceremony from March 18 to 30. The ground is dug up for erecting pandals and stage. Due to this, the players have no ground for next more than fifteen days. There are so many grounds and also temples in Ponda where the religious programmes can be held,” Talavalikar said.
Football player said that every day, both in the morning and the evening, 70- 80 players come for practicing football on the ground. And now, they all have to wait for over fifteen days to resume their practice.
They said that they get injured when their foot gets stuck in holes, treating which costs more than Rs 2 lakh. “The Authorities should not play with life of budding footballers,” said a footballar.
Talavlikar said that the football ground was also given for religious activities in December last year. “If this continues then youths will spend their idle time in gambling and may even switch to drugs. Let them play their favourite game,” he said.
The Shiv Sena leader warned the PWD officials that if henceforth the football ground is given for any religious festival other than football it would protest and also launch an agitation.
PWD Engineer Manisha Shet said that approval has been given by PWD to the Jain community to celebrate their function on football ground which will be held between March 24 and 30. However, considering the objections of football players, henceforth, the PWD would not take any decision hurriedly to handover football ground for religious programmes, she said.
