Punjab gets High Court notice for reducing diet charges of players

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued notices to Punjab and its Director Sports for reducing diet of players from `100 to `50 per player per day. The notices have been issued on a petition filed by Advocate HC Arora in Public interest, wherein, he has said that Sports Department had enhanced the diet amount of players from `60 to `100 per day, four years back on July 19, 2012. However, now when the prices of food items have escalated, the respondents have reduced diet amount from `100 to `50. 

The petitioner contended that the reduction in diet charges of players was totally arbitrary, unrealistic and shocking, especially in the present scenario, when most of the States in the country were making efforts to provide best facilities and incentives to the players, to boost their talent and capabilities.

leveling charges of misinformation on the Sports Department, Arora submitted in the court that the department in response to a query under RTI, denied to have issued orders of reducing the diet charges, but in its public notice for inviting tenders from Mess Contractors for providing diet to players of various Schools/ Colleges /Coaching Centres etc, District Sports Officer, ludhiana had invited quotations at a rate of `50 per day per player, or for a lesser amount.

Seeking a hike in the diet charges of budding players, the petitioner said that instead of reducing the diet charges, the State Government should effect a hike in these charges as the charges had been determined four years back and now it was tough for players to avail a healthy diet at just `100 a day.