Hockey stadium turns into police hub
Begumpet stadium has now been turned into Hyderabad Traffic training Centre while the two astro-turfs at Gachibowli Stadium is torn and ragged because of poor maintenance and non-utilization of the ground.
Hyderabad: The bronze in Tokyo has triggered the renaissance of Indian hockey. If cricket is a religion in our country, then hockey was the favourite team game till its fortunes dwindled.
Hockey is the new buzzword after that magnificent show by Manpreet and his team.
Unfortunately, in Hyderabad, which has given two Olympians — Alyosius Edwards and N Mukesh Kumar — it is a different story.
Boasting of three astro-turf stadiums in the past and once being the hub of hockey activity when the city hosted the National championship and National Games at the Begumpet Stadium and later on when a hockey stadium came up at the Gachibowli Stadium for the Afro-Asian Games in 2003, there were several national camps and the Indian Hockey Premier League.
Hockey activity is at a standstill at the moment. This Police Begumpet stadium has now been turned into Hyderabad Traffic training Centre while the two astro-turfs at Gachibowli Stadium is torn and ragged because of poor maintenance and non-utilization of the ground. It is something that pains the followers of the game.
LV Subramanyam, former chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh and who was instrumental in the construction of the hockey stadium at Gachibowli during erstwhile AP Government, said it was the first stadium then which had the floodlight arrangements. “Dhanraj Pillay came and prostrated on the ground, praising the government for constructing this type of stadium with twin turf ground along with practice pitch. It was a big boon to Indian hockey. It became the only centre in the country to have floodlights. So the national team practiced here before participating in any international tournaments. We had wonderful matches during the Afro-Asian Games where India beat Pakistan in front of a huge crowd,’’ he said.
Subramanyam said it is time to revive both the stadiums. “I feel it is a tragedy as the federation and the Sports Authority of India have not made the facilities at Gachibowli stadium for better use. Nor the State Government has not taken any initiative of reviving these facilities. The floods in 2000 had damaged the Begumpet astro-turf and later on the Police authorities took over the stadium for other purposes,’’ he added.
Allipuram Venkateshwar Reddy, chairman of Sports Authority of Telangana State (SATS), said they have written a letter to SAI to activate their hockey activities and at the same time replace the worn-out turfs.
Reddy also said he will put in a proposal to the State Government to revive the Begumpet hockey stadium. “I will ask Mukesh to come up with a few suggestions so that hockey can be played at Begumpet with a new turf,’’ he said.
Mukesh Kumar said the Begumpet stadium was the sports hostel for the SAI teams. “Started in 1998 it was a sea of activity where we had India play Test matches against Pakistan, Malaysia and Germany apart from the National Games in 2002. It was here the Hyderabad Sultans camp was held before it was closed in 2004 with police taking over the stadium,’’ he said, adding, “it will be an ideal place for the local matches instead of the Gymkhana gravel ground,’’ he said.
Madhukaran, former Indian women’s coach and administrator of the Gachibowli Stadium, said the period between 2003 and 2007 saw spurts of activities at this venue. There were senior and junior camps as it was an ideal venue with hostel facilities. Sadly after 2008, there is zero activity except for one day when leaders come to garland the Dhyan Chand statue. Such is the sad state of affairs, of how facilities are being wasted and we talk of not producing Olympians,’’ he said.
