The Indian Express                        31.03.2013

PMC sports panel to fund summer sports camps in housing societies

To ensure that children in the city make most of the summer vacation, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) sports committee has decided to promote sports. For that, they have sought assistance from the co-operative housing societies to organise sports camps.

"There is a shortage of playgrounds in the city and many a time playgrounds are too far from residential societies. This prevents parents from sending their children to play. This situation will hinder the civic body from achieving its goal. So we want that co-operative housing societies should join us," said Avinash Bagwe, chairperson of sports committee.

He said the co-operative housing societies should provide their amenity space while the civic body would provide financial assistance.

PMC had recently framed its sports policy that encompasses promotion of 'sports culture'. The main focus is on encouraging youths to take up various kinds of sporting activities. It has also made provision for encouraging cooperative housing societies to use their amenity space for sports for kids in their respective residential complex.

Accordingly, the first such initiative would begin at Erandwane, Bagwe said, adding, "A sports camp is being organized by the housing society on its premises for children of the society. A professional trainer is also being hired. He will train the children in different kinds of sports. The committee will provide financial aid of around Rs 15,000 to the society for this."

While the civic body is busy making plans to kick off sporting activities in the city, civic activists fear that the funds would be misused by the elected representatives.

"The corporators are already diverting funds to projects that serve their own interests. Thus would be simply be another one of those initiatives, in which they would allot funds to societies of their choice," said a activist.

Again, PMC's initiative of rewarding sports persons for their achievement has also created much controversy, with political parties and civic groups accusing the ruling party corporators of rewarding sports persons of their choice.