Bearing the legacy of London Olympics

Subhalakshmi Gogoi

DIBRUGARH, July 29: Panitola Sukpothar Lower Primary (LP) School is between two villages with residents of Hindu and Christian communities, who kept their distance from each other. That is why January 26, 2010, was nothing less than momentous for the locality. Villagers of the two religions came together to participate in the various sports organized on Republic Day. The initiative to hold the event was taken by Seema Dhanowar, a community coach who is part of the Sports for Development (S4D), the pilot project of International Inspiration programme. In this departure lies the progress towards the goal behind the inception of the project.

Pinki Karmakar, the girl from Barbarua Tea Estate who carried the Olympic torch, sparks off instant recall. She like Seema is a community coach and they along with others are involved in the programme, which is the fulfillment of the promise made by the former athlete and Chairperson of London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), Sebastian Coe, during the Singapore bid in 2005. He pledged to use the power of sports to inspire and make a difference in the lives of young people. International Inspiration (II), which its websites term as the official international sports legacy programme of London 2012, is being undertaken in 20 countries of the world and in Britain. Governed by an independent charitable foundation, the II Foundation, it is being supported by UK Sports, British Council and UNICEF.

India is one of the beneficiaries and Assam is one of the five states where S4D, which was launched in the country in 2008, is being implemented. Dibrugarh district was zeroed in on and hundred schools in the three development blocks, Barbarua, Lahoal and Panitola were selected. One hundred and fifty youths of these blocks have directly benefited from the programme, apart from teachers. They took part in capacity building workshops and were supplied with two sports kits each, one for grown ups to be used by the residents living in and around a school and one with plastic versatile items for use by students. Among the resource materials is a book with 22 traditional games from the benefiting countries. The community coaches involve the students in sports and try to engage the neighbourhoods in similar activities.

The gains of the programme are apparent for Prem Chand Pal, who is working with the students of Dikom Sessa LP School in Lahoal. “The students used to come in dirty clothes. Now they try to maintain cleanliness. I can see that they have regular baths and keep their nails trimmed.” The community coach mentions that the children of the area now take part in the sports events organized by OIL. His compatriot, Montu Urang, who is attached to Natun Bosa Bapuji LP School in Lahoal, has a similar experience to narrate. He recalled that many students used to stay away from school and roam around plucking bogori or killing birds. “When I told them I will be teaching them games, they showed interest. Now they attend school regularly. There is a girl who came to classes but never paid attention. Nowadays, she is attentive to what her teacher is teaching.”

The games have not only improved the attendance in schools, they have also helped the children open up and voice their opinions and queries. During the sessions with the students, a game is preceded by a brief outline about it and warm up. After playing the game, they discuss about the benefits.

Block facilitator, Kishna Dhan of Singlijan LP School of Lahoal narrates how the once quiet students are more forthcoming and ask questions. “We now interact and I try to answer their queries. The players of our areas used to find it difficult to follow the calls made at the district sports events and fared badly. But now they know the rules and can respond appropriately to any call like get, set, go.” His training has also had other windfall. It has helped the football player prepare the local team in a better way. Dhan, shy yet proud, reveals that the Singlijan Tea Estate football team is ahead of the leading football teams of Dibrugarh in the league matches.

“I have developed techniques to improve the skills of the players. They now show better presence of mind on the field and the results are there for all to see.” The community coach is much in demand with other villages inviting him to train their teams. “I held a coaching camp of one month at Dongapothar recently,” he reveals.

Meanwhile, Pinki has become an inspiring figure for others and she knows it. “Others now think that if I can do it, they also can do it,” states the young girl in a T-shirt emblazoned with International Inspiration on it. The road condition, cleanliness and other aspects did impress her during the visit to London but the attitude of people struck her most. “When people get up on the bus, they wish the driver. Here, we shout at the driver if the bus bumps a bit. I saw that if a bicycle tried to overtake a bus, the driver slowed down for it to pass. Here the driver is more likely to shout at the bicyclist and ask if he wishes to die.”

Back at Barbarua Tea Estate, the student of Barbarua Girls’ High School has resumed teaching 27 adults in the school she started in February voluntarily after realizing that many women were not even educated enough to give their signature. Her social consciousness won Pinki the opportunity to carry the torch amongst so many others in the country. The organizations supporting the programme want to replicate her success story and nurture more leaders.

With it, ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger)’ will come to mean more than just a call to excel at a sports event. In the success of the programme lies a key to social change.

Land for ONGC's 'multi-speciality' hospital yet to be acquired

From our Correspondent

SIVASAGAR, July 29: The announcement, in the year 2011, to build a 300 bedded multi-speciality hospital in Sivasagar by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) had brought cheer and smile to the people of Sivasagar. But their smiling face would very soon be clouded with gloom, as this ambitious project seems to remain a dream for them.

One and half year have passed since the announcement was made by the ONGC to set up a 300 bedded multi-speciality hospital in Sivasagar, as part of  ONGC’s Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives under the focus area of health. But the concerned authorities of the district administration has failed to acquire a suitable plot for setting up the hospital. Though a 50 acre plot is required to start construction of the hospital, no land acquisition had been done for the project as yet.

According to a source from ONGC, as no land has been acquired till date, a huge sum released by the ONGC for the construction of the first phase which entails setting up of the hospital with all related infrastructure like in house residential colony and subsequent future options for setting up a school of Nursing and school of Paramedical Sciences, etc, is about to return.

It needs mentioning that after the declaration by the ONGC, Ajit Hazarika, CMD, in-charge convened a meeting of ONGC officials at Delhi where plans for setting up the hospital were finalized. But unfortunately, the required land has not been acquired yet.

This multi-specialty hospital which is proposed to provide the secondary and tertiary level medical care in broad specialties like cardiology, neurology, nephrology, ENT, oncology (medical, surgical and radiation), orthopaedics and allied departments/facilities, is expected to fulfill the long-standing demands of the people of Sivasagar. The hospital, if comes to reality, will also be a great help to the vast number of patients of cancer, kidney and heart ailments who go to Mumbai, Delhi and Vellore, etc for treatment.

On the other hand, people here have smelled a kind of conspiracy hatched in bringing this ONGC’s noble chapter in the health sector in Sivasagar.

When ONGC has decided to release huge funds to set up a hospital equipped with modern medical equipments and other facilities in Sivasagar, an unholy nexus between doctors and private hospitals, has become a stumbling block in bringing this hospital to deliver benefits to the people.

According to sources, a group of doctors of ONGC Hospitals in Sivasagar and Nazira and a section of owners of private hospitals and nursing homes of Sivasagar and Dibrugarh had been allegedly trying to stop the project since the day of its announcement.

It has been alleged by various sections of people that patients who approach the two hospitals for treatment were being referred to a few private hospitals and nursing homes located at Sivasagar and Dibrugarh in the name of better treatment by this group of doctors. And for this unethical practice, these doctors get commissions and even costly gifts like cars and air-conditioners from the owners of those private hospitals and nursing homes who were minting money by this process.

Thousands attend recruitment rally at Kokrajhar

GUWAHATI, July 29: An Army recruitment rally was conducted at Kokrajhar from July 17 to 29 at the Sports Authorities of India (SAI) Complex at Kanthalguri. The rally was attended by a large number of youths from all communities. Colonel JS Sandhu, Director Recruitment, Narangi, Guwahati thanked the district administration and 15 Dogra Regiment of Red Horn Division for making the rally a successful event. Candidates from Baksa, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Darrang, Dhubri, Goalpara, Kokrajhar, Nalbari and Udalguri districts participated in the recruitment rally at Kokrajhar, stated Defence PRO, Lt Col SS Phogat.

Two ULFA cadres nabbed in Krisnai

From a Correspondent

GOALPARA, July 29: Goalpara Police, in co-operation with COBRA unit of CRPF nabbed two ULFA cadres from Molandubi area under Krisnai police station on Friday night. Acting on a tip off from an undisclosed source that two ULFA cadres were travelling from Guwahati to Goalpara in order to enter Assam-Meghalaya border, Goalpara Police led by Additional SP Susanta Biswa Sharma with assistance from CRPF’s COBRA unit and Krisnai PS, captured these two youths.

They have been identified as Nabadeep Gogoi (23) and Ramen Bhumiz (20). Both the youths hail from Sivasagar district.

Police claimed that they have recovered explosive device from the cadres. However, the suspected youths were produced before the local court which in turn sent them to police remand for three days.

One dies in road accident

From a Correspondent
JORHAT, July 29: One person died in a road accident at the bypass near Ajanta Cinema, Jorhat. Under the Pulibor police station, the road accident happened when Bipin Saikia of Potiagaon coming on a motorcycle met head on collision with a truck coming from Dergaon yesterday. Bipin Saikia injured seriously was admitted to JMC Hospital immediately but later the doctor declared him as dead.

Doctors deployed in relief camps

From our Correspondent

KOKRAJHAR, July 29: Over 48 doctors were engaged including from the Indian Army and State Hospitals to look after the relief camp inmates who were taking shelter at various relief camps in Kokrajhar after the tense situation spread in the region.

Joint Director of Health Services in Kokrajhar said, 33 doctors were engaged from hospitals including Gauhati Medical College & Hospital and neighbouring district to provide health services to the relief camp inmates at various places in the districts. Besides these, altogether 17 paramedical services were deployed in the district to provide health care facility in the tense hit areas. The medical services have been provided in a full scale to the relief camps inmates, said the health service source.

The 15th Dogra Regiment army has also deployed 15-doctors to provide health services to the relief camp inmates in the district. The Army has started their medical camps at Kokrajhar Commerce College, Shukanjhora, Titaguri, Kashipara, Bhotgaon and Vidyapith High School, Kokrajhar. The Army distributed free medical services to the needy relief camp inmates. The Army medical team tomorrow would go to Gossaigaon and distribute medicines, said a senior army official in Kokrajhar.

The situation in Kokrajhar has been returning to normal and no new incident happened in the district till filing of this of report in the last 24 hours.

BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary has appealed to all sections of community to restore peace and unity among the society.

A 10-member of delegation of Bodo Women Justice Forum (BWJF) led by Anjali Daimary, president of the Forum visited the violence hit areas and relief camps and met camp inmates to take stock of the situation.

Daimary speaking to the reporters in Kokrajhar has condemned the incidents and demanded early punishment to the culprits. She has alleged that the State Government was mainly responsible for all incidents happened in the region.

On the other hand, relief camp inmates has complained that there was no sufficient food stuff at the relief camps.

A relief camp inmate at Gambaribil High School said that the relief materials which have been provided were not sufficient as per requirements in the camps. He said that there was no proper facility of sanitation, drinking water and needed facility at the camp site. He said, yesterday doctors rushed to the camp and checked the camp inmates and distributed medicines. He also said that doctors come and go, there was no regular medical service at the camp, he said.

The district administration has said that the situation has been returning to normal and all necessary services have been provided at the relief camps.