SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Swimming Association has gone hammer and tongs over the working style of the State Sports Council which looks after the sporting infrastructure in the state.
The Meghalaya Swimming Association is irked with the State Sports Council as it took two months for the council to give necessary permissions for the Association for holding the 15th annual state swimming championship in Crinoline swimming pool on August 31 and September 1.
The General Secretary of the Association, Ian Khongmen while talking to media persons here said that it was on July 14 when the Association wrote the council for a permission to hold the event and there was no response from their end.
Later, the Association members had to dug out the letter and the Council after more than a month on August 23 wrote to the Association that they will have to deposit Rs 20000 for holding the event for two days.
The misery of the Association did not ended here but the council came only on August 30 at 4 PM to fill the pool though the event was scheduled to take off next day.
“ This is an embarrassment and criminal as they did not filled the water and after persistent requests only, they came on August 30 to fill the pool,” Khongmen said while adding that the Sports department would have to change its work culture since the state is hosting National Games in three years time from now.
It may be mentioned that participants from different parts of Meghalaya were invited to take part in the event
Khongmen alleged that the water was not full in the pool but they decided to go ahead with the event as they had invited participants from far and wide
“Even the Chief Engineer of the Council did not know if we have paid the money or not for the event,” President of the Association, Joe Marwein said
Meanwhile, they members of the Association also said that they had invited swimming professionals from Guwahati for providing swimming coaching to the swimmers of Meghalaya for the upcoming National Games but the Council closed the pool.
“ At 9 pm, a notice was pasted in the gate of the swimming complex,” they added.