KOCHI: As football fever grips people across the globe, a group of players and lovers of the game in Chottanikkara are in the fear of losing their regular playing space. Over 50 football players who regularly play football at Chottanikkara Government Vocational Higher Secondary School (GVHSS) ground alleged that the grama panchayat and Parents Teacher Association (PTA) of the school are preventing them from using the ground.
Though Ernakulam district panchayat has the authority over the ground containing a football ground, 400-m athletic track, an indoor stadium and a pavilion, it is looked after by the PTA committee. “Many sportspersons in Chottanikkara and nearby places who played at national and state-level sports tournaments, including football, started playing at this ground. Now, grama panchayat authorities and PTA want to restrict the entry of local players to the ground. On most days, they prevent us claiming that sporting events are being organised at the ground. We use the ground only for a few hours in the evening.
We are not against holding sports events on the ground. Our only demand is to allow people in the locality to use the ground,” Amal Ashok, a resident, who is also a physical education teacher. Romy Raju, who plays for local football clubs in the district and regularly practices at Chotanikkara ground, said that though the matter was taken up with the authorities, the attempts turned futile.
“Rajesh M R, Chottanikkara panchayat president, is also the PTA president of the school. He is not interested to hear our plea. Instead, he is blaming us that we are not cooperating with maintenance activities on the ground. We are ready to cooperate with all such activities. Our only demand is that our playing time should not be restricted. The authorities are also looking to implement paid entry to the ground,” he said.
Amal said that authorities are now laying a cricket pitch at the football ground which would affect the alignment of the space. “We want to know whether such a work is being carried out after taking the permission of the district panchayat. We are not against playing cricket on the ground. Various sports camps were held on the ground and we never opposed them. But the alignment of the ground made for football should not be affected,” he said.
The panchayat president, however, rubbished the allegations raised by the players. He said that players are not bothered about the maintenance of the ground. “It takes around Rs 1.5 lakh per year for the maintenance of the ground. We don’t have any funds for it. The people who are now raising allegations never contributed anything to the ground,” he said.