Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (GA) - pic - Ganesh S Perla

Mangalore, Jan 23: While the entire city is getting ready for the historic "Hindu Samajotsav" on Sunday January 28, the attention is gradually turning towards an issue which had been neglected for long by all.  District Football Players' Association has questioned MCC's decision to allow RSS to celebrate Hindu Samajotsav on Nehru Maidan which is reserved for sports activities.

Addressing a press conference here Football Association president D M Aslam  said that the association had obtained permission from MCC on December 8 to use Nehru Maidan for district-level floodlight football matches and other sports activities to be held between January 21 and February 5.  However, MCC commissioner ruled this out a month later, that is, on January 9 and gave permission to RSS to hold Hindu Samajotsav on the same ground from January 24 to 28 violating the sports regulations that says that the playground must be used for sports purposes alone and must not be utilized for other activities.  This meant that football association had either to postpone the matches or cancel them.

But having done a long preparation for the same, the association did not want to postpone or cancel the schedule.  Accordingly that approached minister of sports and youth affairs Hanumantayya Alkod.  After going through the entire matter, the minister has now issued a notice to MCC commissioner Krishnappa Poojary for granting permission to RSS to hold Hindu Samajotsav by cancelling the programme of first priority, that is, football match. 

Now the Football association has taken up the issue seriously.  While the minister has questioned the decision of MCC, the football association has also complained that MCC has been doing such things for long.   "These kinds of things would ruin the sports ambitions of children and will also spoil the ground too.  Unless we take stern steps, there would be no place for sports activities in the city one day. The quality of the ground is deteriorating day by day because of frequent public functions that are being held there" he said.

He further said that association is not against RSS holding Hindu Samajotsav on the ground, but it is against MCC which has been doing injustice to sports activities.  He further said that the organizers of public functions use the ground, dig pits, erect stage etc for their programmes.  But once the programme is over now one is bothered about putting things back into order.  Not even a single pit is closed or the ground is cleansed, he opined.  “Owing to this, we have been losing several opportunities to host state and national-level sports championships,” he lamented.

The association has warned of stern measures if MCC fails to give a valid answer for cancelling football matches and giving permission to celebrate Hindu Samajotsav.  Since it is not even a government programme, the tussle seem not be ending.

District Cricket Association president Srinivas Rai, Karnataka State Football Association member Vijay Suvarna and District Football Association secretary Mohommad Hussein were also present at the press conference.