No proper road to her house, Punam still paves future with hope
VARANASI: Reaching weightlifter Punam Yadav’s house at Dandupur village in Varanasi is not easy. A mud road leading to the dwelling turns slippery after light rain.
The Commonwealth Games gold medal winner and her family have no choice but to negotiate the slushy stretch as the promise to build a concrete road has not been fulfilled.
Punam Yadav and her family members either walk or drive on the over 200 metre dirt track to reach the Varanasi-Sindhaura road. A narrow path connecting her house to the nearest road from the other side is also muddy.
After Punam struck gold in the Commonwealth Games in the 69 kg category in April, the then district magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra visited her village and announced that the mud road leading to her house will be made ‘pucca’.
Almost five months later, the weightlifter’s family is still waiting for the promise to be kept.
“The then DM sahib visited my house to congratulate us on Punam’s victory in the Commonwealth Games.
He wished Punam good luck and promised construction of an asphalt or concrete road to my house. But the road is yet to be built,” her father Kailash Yadav says.
It is too difficult to drive a scooty on the dirt track, he complains. He hopes road construction will begin after the rains as a consignment of material (stone chips) was dumped near the site over a month ago.
Punam says, “The lack of a pucca road has made things inconvenient. The path turns slippery and a scooty may skid.”
Nevertheless, she expresses confidence the road will be constructed eventually.
A district administration official says, “A consignment of stone chips has already reached the site to construct a road leading to the weightlifter’s house. Construction work will begin very soon.” Things are also looking up for Punam on the job front. She says the state government has started the process for appointing her as a regional sports officer.
She recently visited Lucknow and met the authorities concerned in this connection. Later, she filled in forms and completed other formalities for the job.
After her Commonwealth Games feat, a government job was announced for her.
She says she told officials that she was not interested in joining as deputy superintendent of police but was keen on becoming a regional sports officer. The state government authorities accepted her decision and the process to appoint her as RSO has begun, she says.
“Sports is my passion. I can’t stay away from it. Therefore, I decided to be a regional sports officer. As an RSO, I will work to create an environment for promotion of sports. I will train the youngsters who want to make a career in weightlifting,” she says.
She says she will work to realise her dream of having a sports stadium equipped with the best training facilities at her village. She says she will also try to participate in the next Commonwealth Games.
ALMOST FIVE MONTHS LATER, THE WEIGHTLIFTER’S FAMILY IS STILL WAITING FOR THE PROMISE TO BE KEPT.