Bhopal, January 30:(Pervez Bari) The Union Sports Ministry paid Rs. 202,000/ each to the 41 Indian women hockey players, who are attending the National training camp at the Sports Authority of India centre here in Bhopal on Friday morning. The players are undergoing training for the ensuing Commonwealth Games and World Cup.
The Sports Ministry’s gesture is to cool down frayed tempers of the players’ who are on protests against the Hockey India, (HI), management over the non-payment of their dues and shabby treatment meted out to them. The players are peacefully agitating since last one week by sporting black arm-bands while practicing in the training camp. The checks of the said amount was handed over to the players by Ms Deepika Kachhal, Director in the Union Sports Ministry from New Delhi.
It may be pointed out here that the Federal Sports ministry essentially distributed the Rs. 10 million donation received from the Bharatiya Janata Party ruled Madhya Pradesh Government and Rs. one million from Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, (ASSOCHAM), New Delhi, last week. Initially, the ministry had said that the contribution would help in the formation of a fund to develop women’s hockey but apparently changed its mind once Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had insisted that the money had to go to the girls.
It may be mentioned here that the players had earlier rejected the amount of Rs. 50,000 each offered by Hockey India and had insisted a treatment at par with their male counterparts.
According to the players their ongoing protest against HI would continue until and unless all their dues and benefits that have accrued to them are cleared and a system is placed that future would not have to agitate for their rights.
Meanwhile, the Indian women hockey squad comprising of 18 players and five officials, which emerged runners-up in last Asia Gold Cup, were richer by another 100,000/-each when the Madhya Pradesh Government presented checks on Thursday evening in a function to felicitate them.
Chief Minister Chouhan had promised the payment to the players while addressing them on Sunday last. He also gave an additional Rs.5 million check to Indian captain Surinder Kaur for clearing outstanding dues of other players.
Speaking on the occasion Chouhan said the “Madhya Pradesh Government was only trying to rectify Hockey India’s mistake of not rewarding the national women’s team for their splendid performance in the Asia Cup”.
On the occasion he also declared that prestigious hockey tournament of Bhopal Obaidullah Khan Gold Cup Hockey Tournament would be organized in March this year. It could be an international event in the near future. He announced a prize money of Rs. 500,000/- for the winners of the tournament, while Rs. 300,000/- and Rs. 200,000/- would respectively go to the second and third placed teams.
Meanwhile former hockey Olympians of Bhopal Inam-ur-Rehman, Syed Jalaluddin Rizvi and Samir Daad and International players Mohammed Yusuf, Gauhar Nazeer, Zafaruddin and Azizuddin were also honoured on the occasion.
It may be recalled here that Chouhan had also sported black arm-bands on Sunday to express solidarity with Indian women hockey team players. He had said that he was with the women hockey players in their protest. He had a black band tied on his arm as a mark of protest and said that this band is akin to a “Rakhi”, which will keep motivating him for removing the difficulties of these players.
“I will not remove the black arm-band till Hockey India concedes the demands of the women players and makes payment of their dues which have accrued to them”, he had stated.”The Hockey India and the Union Sports Ministry should think about restoring their rights. Their protest is justified and I am with them”, he added.
Meanwhile, according to media reports the Delhi High Court on Wednesday said it might appoint a retired judge as the Returning Officer for the election of Hockey India in view of the controversy arising for appointments in the sports body.
A Bench headed by the Chief Justice A P Shah asked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and Hockey India (HI) to file their response on how they are planning to conduct the election and suggest the name of a retied High Court judge who could be appointed as their Returning Officer.
In the meantime, the Union Government informed the court that differences with the Hockey India has been sorted out after the sports body agreed to follow its suggestion on conduct of the election.
The court was hearing a PIL questioning the way in which the sports body is functioning and alleged irregularities in conduct of the election.
The election, however, has been put on hold after the Rajasthan High Court had last week restrained the Hockey India to conduct the exercise.
The Union Government had earlier approached the High Court challenging Hockey India’s recent appointment of G. S. Mander, vice president of Indian Olympic Association(IOA), as RO for its election which was scheduled on February 7. (pervezbari@eth.net)