Demand the ground be maintained for sports activities

TRAL: Cricket fever in Gujjjjar Basti Nargistan, a remote village in south Kashmir’s Sub Division Tral, is high despite the chilling cold and presence of snow in the field.
The youth in the surrounding villages defy extreme weather conditions and let their leisure time not to go waste. They, however, feel ditched by the administration as the ground that has been notified is very small and a major part of it is covered under large stones as it is adjoining a nallah.
“Every time we play in this ground we lose the ball in the stones or find the ball in the rushing waters of the nallah,” Talib Hussain, a youth from Gujjar Basti told Rising Kashmir. He said that teams from surrounding villages play tournaments even in the bone-chilling cold of winters.
The locals said that the government had provided them the ground but it serves no purpose as it does not groom the talent from these villages.
“The field either should be maintained and the vast area which is in under stones must be cleared or it should be relocated so that youth in the village can prove their cricketing talent and play at an advanced level,” said Abdul Rashid, another resident from the Nargistan village.
Irshad Ahmad Dar, a social activist from Pulwama, has appealed to the authorities to provide a ground that would suffice the needs of local youth so that they too can bring excellence to their sporting activities.

BILAL HABIB