Bastar, housing the large masses of Tribal population, could have been a fountain head of producing quality sportspersons for the State as well as the Nation but in a situation where merely 16 physical training instructors are in job for nearly 246 schools, future of kids in sports field has been left in lurch.
Bereft of guidance and sporting opportunity, students of this are forced not only to spend their time in reading only, but the efforts of the State Government of producing good sportspersons also suffered body blow. While most of the Government schools lacked PTIs, in schools of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) there is no provision for Physical Training instructors.
Notably, In Bastar district 12 high schools, 3 higher secondary schools, 81 RMSA schools and 150 schools of Tribal development department are in operation but total number of PTIs is 16. In this situation children of this area are participating in block level to national level sports events by peparing for the same on their own.
On an average, 1200 players are sent from Bastar to participate in different districts of the State to participate in sporting events but they fail to capitalise on their sporting skill due to lack of guidance and basic facilities.
According to assistant commissioner of Tribal development department Tarkeshwar Devangan, in the coming period district panchayat will fill up the vacancy of PTIs on priority basis to overcome the situation.
Notably, 7 national level referees had participated in fitness test conducted in Gujarat in which Rupak Mukherji of Bastar and lomesh Kashyap of Dantewada could only cleared the test.
Selected from all blocks of the district, total 70 male and female contestants participated in a marathon organised at Jagdalpur, the winner of which would get the opportunity to participate in State level marathon to be organised in Raipur.
Barring the proposed indoor stadium at Kondagaon, all the seven districts of Bastar has no such place where all the facilities are available to sportspersons at one place and this is despite the fact that this is the second innings of the State sports Minister from the Bastar area.