Jalandhar, December 9 Track banao, bhavishya bachao; kheda val dhyan wadhaoge, fir hi nashe ghataoge; sharam naal sir jhuk jaanda hai, jad Punjab kheda vich piche aunda hai. These were the messages that were written on placards that athletes were holding during a protest at Sports College here today. City-based athletes who won silver medals in the South Asian Games and other athletes, who are injured due to the damaged track, protested at Sports College today as they said they had been practicing on a 24-year-old damaged athletics track. They said if they managed to win medals by practicing on this track which was not even fit for the players, what they could achieve if they would be given proper facilities. Tanya Chaudhary (23), an athlete who got injured last year, said she got injured due to the track. “To recover from the injury, a big amount is spent and besides, what about our valuable time? Because of this, I couldn’t take part in this year’s competitions and championships,” she said. She has already won a gold in the Federation Cup, has participated in the Asian Championship too and has won medals in the inter-university games also. Gurinder Veer, another champion, said he had been practicing at Sports College here since the past five years. “We want proper facilities as we have to go to other districts to practice,” he said. The track, as per professional players, was no longer fit for players to run on. As per information, it was built in 1996 at continued on page 2

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