SAI canteen closes amid ‘LPG shortage’, ‘high pricing’ issues
New Delhi, April 10: The canteen at the Sports Authority of India’s headquarters here has suspended operations after the vendor complained of a shortage of LPG supply even though a well-placed source said it has more to do with the “high prices he has been quoting”. The canteen at the SAI campus inside the sprawling Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium has been shut for close to a month, according to a well-placed source. “Initially the vendor said he would only serve tea due to LPG shortage but even that has stopped now. Staffers who rely on the canteen are currently managing by having their meals at nearby outlets,” said the source. However, the suspension of canteen’s operations will not affect athletes who train at the stadium as they have their meals at the stadium’s mess which remains fully functional. SAI canteens at its National Centres of Excellence across the country are also functioning normally and no shortage of cooking gas has been reported thus far. The vendor, it is learnt, took over the canteen’s charge only a few months ago. “The prices being quoted by this vendor too were quite high and he didn’t really have an explanation for why he was charging so much. So he does have a grievance about being questioned,” said another SAI source. “In big meetings involving the minister and SAI Director General, the canteen serves tea and snacks like Dhokla, some cashews, and a sweet. He was charging Rs 425 per plate for this. “The DG (Hari Ranjan Rao) learnt about it, put an end to the whole thing and questioned these prices,” the source added. (PTI)
Indian youngsters storm into semis of singles event in Asian Youth TT
Shimla, April 10: India’s young paddlers extended their dominant run, storming into the singles quarterfinals in both U-19 and U-15 categories at the Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships after a golden sweep in team events. However, across categories, India’s higher-ranked players were rewarded with first-round byes, ensuring direct entry into the semifinals scheduled on Saturday. With the two-player-per-nation cap in singles, the hosts made full use of their opportunities, asserting near-total control of the draws. In the Under-19 boys category, Priyanuj Bhattacharjee and Punit Biswas topped their respective groups in commanding fashion, both maintaining unbeaten records. The Indian girls were no less dominant. Jennifer Varghese and Ananya Muralidharan cruised through the Under-19 girls’ group without dropping a single game, outclassing their opponents with effortless 3-0 wins to underline their title credentials. In the Under-15 boys section, Aditya Das and Akshay Kirikara advanced to the quarterfinals with similar authority. The Under-15 girls’ contingent continued the clean sweep, with Ankolika Chakraborty and Ahona Ray mirroring their senior counterparts by topping their groups and progressing to the knockout stage without fuss. Meanwhile, the doubles events commenced from the quarterfinal stage, with one pair per nation in contention. (PTI)
MP, UP set up final clash in
Sub-Junior National hockey
Rajgir (Bihar), April 10: Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh registered wins in the respective semifinals to set up title clash at the 16th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship Division ‘A’ here on Friday. In the first semfinal, Madhya Pradesh secured a 4-2 win against Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey. Deepak Singh (29th), Karan Gautam (43rd), Gazee Khan (47th) and Siddharth Ben (51st) scored for the winners, while captain Dhiraj Pal (36th) and Apurwa Chauhan (54th) netted for Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey. In the second semifinal, Uttar Pradesh registered a 6-2 victory over Punjab. Shahrukh Ali (11th, 32nd) and Nitish Yadav (26th, 29th) scored a brace each, with captain Ketan Kushwaha (42nd) and Rahul Yadav (42nd) also finding the back of the net for Uttar Pradesh. For Punjab, Ali Razzaq (39th) and Rajveer Singh (43rd) were the goal getters. (PTI)
