KNZ NEWS DESK
Srinagar, Jul 30 : Several district development commissioners have recommended promotion of sports in their respective areas to engage youth in supports activities.
An official document of divisional commissioner Kashmir office in possession of Kashmir News Service (KNS) reveals that district development commissioner Srinagar has recommended that “special focus needs to be placed on the down town where majority of the population lives, which has been adversely affected in the present turmoil”.
“Special allocation of funds be made for development of different facilities like gymnasiums, entertainment halls, career counseling centres to have a salutary effect on the downtown youth,” the DC Srinagar as per documents has recommended.
Similarly, district development commissioner Ganderbal has recommended that a “comprehensive plan” needs to be formulated for the tribal areas of the district and the youth needs to be engaged in the sports activities, to bring in them a “positive behavioral change”.
Dineshwar Sharma, the Centre’s special representative to Jammu and Kashmir has also stressed on the “need to engage in dialogue, especially with Kashmiri youths who continue to feel alienated”.
The documents pointed out non-availability of funds for building of sports infrastructure. In Shopian district, there exists one stadium and there is “meager infrastructure” available, it adds.
The task forces have been constituted for promoting youth engagement and sports activities to chalk out modalities and prepare a road map for finalising the programme pertaining to sports and youth engagement policy.
They have to “prepare calendar of the activities for purpose of youth engagement/sports that could bring out a change on the ground to make them useful instruments of change and also to ensure furtherance of sports/cultural activities”.
The district level task forces comprise of officials from youth services and sports, education, sports council, rural development, police, BSF, and Army.
They have been asked that they shall also keep scope for inclusion of cultural activities, career counseling, personality development, drug de-addiction programmes, advocacy campaigns against social evils.
An official of JK Youth Services and Sports said that lack of play fields have been affecting the performance of players. “The existing play fields are in bad shape. Only few grounds have drainage system in place,” the official said. (KNS)
