Taking a strong cognizance of the reports of the closure of Shastri Badminton Hall by the Municipal Corporation and numerous complaints from the parents and the local residents, former President of the District Congress Committee (Urban), Ludhiana, Pawan Dewan, along with senior party leaders, today visited the Guru Nanak Stadium.
Asserting that why should the players suffer “if there is any dispute pertaining to any issue in this regard”, Dewan urged the authorities to reopen the badminton hall immediately. Speaking to the media, Dewan disclosed that he has been receiving continuous calls from the parents of players who used to get training at the hall.
“With practice coming to halt, the parents are extremely worried in wake of the fact that many upcoming tournaments are scheduled to be held in the next few weeks”, he said, while making a fervent appeal to the media to rake up this issue more aggressively. “The media has taken up the matter but considering the gravity of the situation, there is a need to highlight the matter at the highest level so that the authorities should swing into action”, Dewan opined, while adding that since players future is at stake, Congress will not watch all this as a mute spectator.
Dewan emphasized that locked hall will directly impact the preparations of players for the State-Level Ranking Tournament scheduled in Jalandhar this October, the All India Ranking Tournament in Panchkula, and the Sub-Junior Under-15 and Under-17 Tournaments scheduled in Jalandhar.
In this context, the parents of players have also expressed their strong resentment over the decision. Pointing out that the shuttlers practicing at this academy recently secured 4 gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze medals in the Jalandhar Ranking Tournament. Many of these young athletes are also national-level players, making the closure extremely concerning as well as uncalled for.
Dewan demanded that the Municipal Corporation should unlocks the Badminton Hall immediately, while stressing that the Hall plays a vital role in even the state government’s campaign against drug abuse by encouraging youth to engage in sports. Among others present were senior Congress leaders Inderjit Kapoor, Sushil Malhotra (PCC Member), Rohit Pahwa, Happy Kapoor, and Azad Sharma.