The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the Chief Secretary to act over the plight of sportspersons of the Bhadrak district who train themselves at the Nehru Stadium along National Highway-5.
The commission passed the order acting on the petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy.The petitioner alleged that the sportspersons of Bhadrak suffer immensely as a result they have been appealing to the Collector for years to solve the problem, but in vain. Waterlogging is a perennial problem for which, when people along with office-bearers of the District Olympic Association blocked the NH, the district administration blamed the National Highway Authority (NHAI) authorities saying there was no drainage facility created at the time of NH expansion.
“Sportspersons have been running from pillar to post for a proper drainage facility in front of the stadium so that the rainwater does not flow inside while the district administration says it is helpless to address the grievances,” Radhakanta pointed out.“Since the stadium is the only place in the district holding all major outdoor sports activities including regular training/coaching of the sportspersons, deprivation of training/coaching to them or forcing them to undergo training in an unhealthy, unhygienic and dangerous place violates their human rights,” the petitioner alleged.
The petitioner urged the Commission to direct the NHAI and the State sports authority to solve the waterlogging and environment pollution problem effectively and ensure the basic human rights of the athletes of the district.