E-Paper
VC brings a ray of hope to AU sportsmen
CONDITION OF sports on the Allahabad University (AU) campus and its Multi-Purpose Hall?lying in utter neglect for the past around two decades? now seem set to see better days. Acting on the news report "AU Muti Purpose Hall? A tale of neglect" published in 'HT Allahabad Live' on November 4, 2006, AU Vice-Chancellor Prof Rajen Harshe along with Dean Students Welfare Prof Jagdamba Singh and Proctor Prof Jata Shankar visited the Multi-Purpose Hall .
CONDITION OF sports on the Allahabad University (AU) campus and its Multi-Purpose Hall—lying in utter neglect for the past around two decades— now seem set to see better days.
Acting on the news report "AU Muti Purpose Hall— A tale of neglect" published in 'HT Allahabad Live' on November 4, 2006, AU Vice-Chancellor Prof Rajen Harshe along with Dean Students Welfare Prof Jagdamba Singh and Proctor Prof Jata Shankar visited the Multi-Purpose Hall and inspected the condition of both the building as well as sports' goods gathering dust there for the past many years.
Honorary secretary of AU Athletic Association, the varsity's governing body of all sports related activities, Prof RK Upadhyaya, Head of AU's Physical Education department Dr Archana Chahal as well as AU Cricket Coach Devesh Mishra were also present during the visit.
It is worth mentioning that the hall was constructed after spending millions and was inaugurated by the then UP Chief Minister Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna on November 30, 1974 during the tenure of Ram Sahay as the AU Vice-Chancellor.
As the news of VC's visit had already become a common knowledge, efforts to clean the hall as well as arrange and clean the equipment began almost three hours before the VC's 3 pm visit.
Afters years, the hall floor was swept and the dust and pigeon droppings on the sports equipment was cleaned by half-a-dozen staff members. Cutting of some of the over grown weeds and bushes too was hurriedly carried out.
The VC personally saw the boxing ring, constructed around 4 years back at a cost of around Rs 4 lakh but which has never witnessed even a single bout till date, the poor state of gymnasium exercise machines, the wrestling and judo mats as well as the exercise cycles and two TT tables dumped in the hall.
The VC asked Prof Upadhyaya as well as Dr Chahal to initiate steps for kick-starting sports on the campus immediately and also promised all help from his side.
Prof Harshe later also visited the basketball court, football and hockey grounds and also inspected the low boundary wall of the science faculty which has been a security concern for the Proctor for the past quite some time.
Sources say, following the VC's visit and instructions, the varsity officials are now planning to organise a sports tourney from November 14 and inaugurate yoga classes in the Multi-Purpose Hall from November 21.
Besides interacting with the students of the Science faculty, the VC also visited PC Bannerjee Hostel and inquired about the problems of the inmates first hand.
