Students leave sports academy
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 30 2016 : Altogether 245 students of the National Sports Academy (NSA), Khuman Lampak including 85 girls have reportedly left their hostel yesterday to protest alleged mismanagement and deman-ding its proper functioning.

The NSA students who left their hostel yesterday met media persons today at Manipur Press Club and threatened to launch intense forms of agitation if the authority concerned fails to address their grievances and rectify the system at the earliest.

Student representatives told reporters that they left the NSA hostel around noon, yesterday after informing the officials of the Academy that they will return only when the laxities in the Academy are addressed.

Blaming the Academy for its alleged inability to provide sports materials and requisite infrastructure including sports kits, potable water, diets, power supply, the stu- dents lamented that the officials of the Academy turned a deaf ear to repeated petitions and complaints.

Stating that the drinking water supplied to the hostel is not hygienic, they said that foreign particles are found sometimes in the water.

The students also pointed out that some inmates have even got infected with water-borne diseases like diarrhoea, ring- worms and other infectious diseases.

The students also said that the Academy had stopped issuing essential sports outfits and kits and the students are made to procure themselves since the last 2 years.

Maintaining that the Academy is not equipped with adequate infrastructure, the students decried the alleged poor power supply, insanitary toilets, unavailable of practising hall of weight lifting and absence of medical facility like first aid items.

When an injury happens, students are asked to take leave and go for treatment at their own cost.

Such instances have disheartened budding sports persons staying in the academy, said one of the students. The students also said that the diets provided to them do not meet the national and global standard.

Sports persons in some disciplines which required extra-physical fitness are not provided the requisite diets.

Informing that NSA promised of providing monetary aid to the students after passing out their class XII, they rued that the promise has turned hollow.

Urging the authority concerned to look into the matter urgently, the students asserted that a meeting of the parents of the students would be held tomorrow afternoon.

The students also warned of carrying out intense form of agitation with like-minded student bodies of the State soon if the Government keeps on ignoring their grievances.

Meanwhile a weightlifting player from Arunachal Pradesh who has been in the NSA for almost five years shared that all necessary kits and equipment were not provided in time.

She recalled that she received her latest weightlifting shoes in 2015.She has also participated in Youth Games, 2014 where she received silver medal in 44 kg category.

Joining the NSA was to become a sports person who can have a chance to participate and prepare for the Olympics in coming years, but all dreams are now shattered with the grim reality here in Imphal, she added.

Mention may be made that the NSA is the only national level sports academy in the Northeast manned by the Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of Manipur.

It has a total of 245 students from various NE States like Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Assam and Meghalaya.

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