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Journalism of Courage
NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 28: Every afternoon, the Delhi University stadium grounds becomes the hub of activity. But it is not frequented by people for whom it was made the DU students.
DU registrar Prof K.K. Panda is up in arms against the Sports Council for permitting outsiders to use the university grounds. The university authorities have asked for police assistance to check the increasing number of eve-teasing cases in the area. The registrar is meeting the members of the Sports Council next week to clear the air.
A number of outsiders are using the ground. The right corner of the field is used as a temporary cricket pitch. Groups of men stroll the grounds. Their cars parked nearby have music blaring from their stereos. Some of them have come for coffee at the council canteen.
Sports Council director Jitender Singh Naruka is on the defensive. He says: “There may be no rule permitting outsiders to use the grounds but there is no rule forbidding their entry either. We cannot stop them from using the grounds. No we do not take any money from them.”
Vinod Kumar, a DU athlete, says: “DU students don’t come here as there are no facilities here. We don’t even have a track for the athletes. We do not have a badminton or a squash court. Why should we come here?”
Sports Council director Naruka blames the condition of the stadium on the paucity of funds. “We have no money for anything. The government does not give us any grants. Our only source of funds are the colleges who collect money from the students under the sports fee category. The fee amount per students has remained at Rs 20 per year for decades now,” said Naruka.
