Moga’s nursery of hockey players dying a slow death
MOGA:ň Lala Lajpat Rai Government College in Dhudike village, once known as Moga’s hockey hub and having produced several national and international players, is now struggling to maintain its legacy owing to lack of infrastructure, facilities and government support.
The only stadium for at least 25 adjoining hockey enthusiastic villages has been lying unused since 2017 as its ground was dug for construction of the district’s first synthetic turf.
The sports hostel of college was declared unsafe long ago and lying abandoned while the building of the sports wing has been out of use since 2001. Besides, the college also has no coach since 2009.
Sukhbir Singh Badal, the then deputy chief minister, had announced to establish a synthetic turf stadium here in 2016 to revive the hockey hub. The
construction was started the next year and also stopped the same year. Kulwant Singh Pannu, a retired coach from college, said the institution used to have one of the best teams in the country till 90s and till 2011 at the university level. He said, “Dhudike was the capital of adjoining 25 hockey enthusiastic villages in the past. Hockey players of this area such as Parminder Singh alias Pamma, Harbhajan
Singh, and Amandeep Kaur have represented Indian teams. The youths of these villages used to take admission here only for hockey.”
“Now, the young players of these villages have been left to fend for themselves. Though the enthusiasm for hockey still remains same here, the government has not provided faculties and infrastructure to uplift the standard of hockey players,” Pannu said.
Parminder Singh, who represented the Indian team from 2001 to 2007, said, “There is a need of at least three synthetic turfs in the area. In the absence of synthetic turfs and proper hockey grounds, the aspirants practice on flat, plain and grass grounds.”
Sanje Mahajan, executive engineer of Punjab sport department, said, “Recently, we have allotted tenders to complete Moga’s first synthetic turf stadium. The remaining work of the stadium will be completed in 8 months after tender allotment. Earlier the work was halted after centre stopped funds and now state government is spending from its own pocket.”