Pugilists desert ‘unsafe’ boxing ring in Alirajpur

The Alirajpur boxing ring has been lying abandoned for more than a year with overgrown grass crawling with scorpions and snakes around the open ring, which is just in front of district collectorate.

The Alirajpur boxing ring has been lying abandoned for more than a year with overgrown grass crawling with scorpions and snakes around the open ring, which is just in front of district collectorate.

The sports department has spent lakhs of rupees to buy equipment to encourage boxing among tribes people of the district, but due to the department’s apathy equipment is kept in the open and not inside the Khel Bhawan, which is barely 500m away from the boxing ring, say residents.

When the ring was first set up, boxers used to come to practice regularly but with the onset of the rainy season the equipment was spoiled and now no one comes for practice, says Paras Singh, a tribal youngster from Alirajpur.

“When the boxing equipment was brought to our district a year back, I was very excited but within six months the condition of the boxing gear started deteriorating and things have taken a turn for the worse after the monsoon.

The punching bags and pads were kept in open during the rainy season due to which the gear can no longer be used for practicing,” he says.

“Now, I have decided to quit boxing and now focus on my studies.”

Mukesh Parmar, a resident of Azad Nagar, about 35 km from the district headquarters, says that when he went to the training centre to enroll his nephew, he found boxing gear lying in the open and the condition of ring was unsafe.

“If anyone practices there he or she will surely sustain injuries, hence, I decided not to send my nephew in the training centre,” he says.

The sports department in the district functions under the district police and nodal officer is the additional superintendent of police.