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.
