Here, our future medal winners reside!!!

MAH GOVT’S KRIDA PARABODHINI IN A SHAMBLES

By Paritosh Pramanik

STRAY dogs at the entry gate of the hostel. A stinking dining hall. Poor quality of food. Flies all over the cooking area. Rotten onions spread in a corner of a makeshift storeroom. Choked, filthy, uncleaned toilets. Doorless bathrooms. Dark corridors. Broken fitness equipment.
Welcome to Krida Prabodhini, Nagpur!
Situated in the sprawling premises of Divisional Sports Complex in Mankapur, off Koradi Road, this boys’ hostel (earlier there used to reside 10 girls also but it was closed in 2015) is a perfect example of how the State Government is playing with the careers of talented sportspersons of the region. There are 38 students in Krida Prabodhini with 32 handball players and six athletes.
The residential sports hostel for boys is a blot on Nagpur as well as on its sports culture.
The reality of the stinking hostel was brought to light by students of Prabodhini a few days back when they raised their voice against ill-treatment meted out to them, be it providing of inferior quality of food, lack of infrastructure or alleged improper behaviour of the principal. The aggrieved students also submitted a memorandum to the District Collector a couple of days back informing him about their plight.
To conduct a reality check ‘The Hitavada’ visited the hostel from where the Government expects medal winners to emerge for the state. 
It was shocking to see the entrance hall full of dust. Beside the hall, the dining area was occupied by a couple of students having their lunch along with a puppy peeing on the floor even as flies covered the cooking area.
At a makeshift storeroom there were potatoes spread on the floor along with rotten onions meant to serve the students.
On the right side of the entrance a few gym equipment in a dilapidated condition stare at you.
As this correspondent moved ahead towards the first floor, a dark corridor without lights opened up its arms. Stinking toilets with broken doors gave an impression that they were not cleaned for months.
The bathrooms were flooded as the pipeline was choked due to the ongoing renovation work of the hostel. Even the equipment in gymnasium are in bad shape. The seats are torn and weights are very less in numbers. Players say they have not yet received sports kits and other equipment.
“They want us to win medals at any cost. They throw us out if we fail to perform after a couple of years.
“But they don’t provide us the basic facilities. How can we perform to the best of our abilities if we do not get proper diet, proper sporting material and proper place to live,” said a peeved student.
“A water filter was installed a few days back. Otherwise, we were drinking contaminated water,” added another player.
Players are staying in such a shabby condition and, it seems, Government is hardly paying any heed to their genuine demands.
District Sports Officer Avinash Pund, who has been given additional charge of the hostel after Deputy Director, Sports and Youth Affair, Subhash Rewatkar, had to sacrifice Principal’s post, said, the contract of the caterer Ms Shreeram Traders, has been terminated and fresh tenders will be floated for new caterer.
“He (caterer Shreeram Traders) is here till Sunday only. We have decided to terminate his contract. Fresh tenders will be floated soon,” said Pund.
However, the fact is that the rate at which food is served to the students every day is very less. As per Government norms, only Rs 200 per player is being given to the contractor. The Rs 200 are supposed to cover the cost of breakfast, lunch and dinner of best quality.
According to the weekly menu, students are supposed to get boiled eggs, non-veg food thrice a week. They are entitled to get lime juice, fruits, sweet corn, once daily apart from 250 grams of milk, two bananas, soybean and other nutrient supplements daily. These apart from their regular lunch where vegetables as fixed for every day.
Pund accepted the rates are very less and they should be increased.
“Yes, Rs 200 per student/per day in that quantity and of best quality is far less. We will be requesting the Government to increase the rates,” assured Pund.
According to Government rules, there should be a warden, a clerk and a worker at Prabodhini which has a capacity of 60 students. But in Nagpur there are only 38 students hence there are no officials to look after. “I have to prepare and maintain the account books. At times the staff of Divisional Complex work overtime for the hostel work,” informed Rewatkar.
The peculiar condition in which the students are living is really pathetic calls for immediate rectification.