 "Sports go off field with Tata quitting Bastar plan")
About a fortnight ago, the collectorate premises in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar had an unusual delegation. A large number of children and youths marched to the district headquarters with a demand that put the authorities in a fix.
The youths wanted that the physical training instructors hired by Tata Steel under its social responsibility programme in Bastar may be retained. Unfortunately, the authorities failed — to retain the mega steel plant and also the sports instructors.
The steel major had shelves Rs 19,000 crore plan over land delay and mine allotment. The company had inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chhattisgarh government in June 2005 for setting up 5.5 million tonne per annum (Mtpa) green-field integrated steel plant in Bastar district.
Under the corporate social responsibility programme, the company started sports academy through its arm Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS) in Bastar. The programme evoked good response and became popular among the children and youths exploring option to be a good player.
“The TSRDS had trained hundreds of youths and children in different sports events from 2006 to 2016 while many had represented the national and state games,” an official associated with the programme told Business Standard. Besides 52 players qualifying for the national games, 409 players trained by the TSRDS represented Bastar in the state games.
A few have even got job in para-military forces on sports quota. The decision of Tata Steel to quit its Bastar plan had come as a big jolt for the sports aspirants. With the company winding up all its activities in Bastar, the sports centre was also closed down. The instructors packed up and left the region where that cradled life for sports among tribals.
Bastar, otherwise infamous for Naxal violence, has been a tribal predominated region. The tribals youths have hidden talents that need to be explored for different events. The Tata Steel was working in the direction.
The youths demanded the district authorities to retain and hire the instructors. “But there was no such provision available with the authorities,” said a senior district administration official.
The state government had however taken the initiative to compensate the loss. The National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) would be setting up two sports academies in Bastar, where it is coming up with a steel plant. The decision was taken during Chief Minister Raman Singh's meeting with Union Steel Ministry Secretary Aruna Sharma and SAIL Chaiman P K Singh here recently.
