Title - Time constraints cut off players from sports

RANCHI: Jharkhand has produced many national and international hockey players who have been given jobs in the railways under sports quota, but once they are settled, the players feel that they are being distanced from sports.The main reason behind their break of link from sports is lack of sufficient time for practice. Edin Kerketta, a hockey player who was part of the national team from 1999 to 2005, is at present working with the railways. She says after she got he job she has not been able to give enough time to sports."I got a job in the railways from the sports quota but now I don't have enough time to practise. After eight hours of duty in office, it is almost impossible for me to take out our hockey sticks and practise at night," she said.Kerketta said in Western Railway, the employees who joined from the sports quota, were given half day spare time everyday to practice. But there is no such provision in the South Eastern Railway. She said, "We are given time to practise only a month before some tournaments but as we are not in continuous practice, our performance in the match is affected. If we are also given half day to practise, the conditions would have been better." Availability of proper playground is another reason for the irregular practice of the sportspersons. The gates of Sersa stadium are locked almost all the time and the grass at the grounds has not been trimmed for ages. Urshela Toppo, a former hockey player who is presently working with the railways, said, "The grass on the grounds is really tall which makes it impossible to practise there. If they want to practice, they have to go to turf but most of the times even the ground is not available there."

Urshela said, "If we had got sufficient time to practise hockey, maybe we would have still been playing. I really miss playing hockey but after so much work and lack of time it is not at all possible to practise."